LETTER: Faculty runs student govt.
Editor,
ASUSU: “Government by the students for the administration” should be the motto on the doormat in front of the ASUSU government office.
Last semester, after much debate ASUSU passed a resolution supporting academic freedom called the, “Academic Bill of Rights.” It called for a balanced debate on campus asking for both sides of an issue to be taught at USU. As a resolution it couldn’t make anybody be fair, but it could raise awareness of abuse.
One example would be that in the last two years ASUSU has spent more than $35,000 of your student fees to bring liberal speakers to campus while spending $500 to sponsor one conservative speaker. The resolution would call for some balance. The Faculty Senate was presented the passed ASUSU resolution, “Academic Bill of Rights.” According to the Herald Journal, they “snickered” at it. Why should they have taken it seriously? ASUSU had never challenged them as faculty before. The Faculty Senate thought the resolution was silly, unnecessary and ridiculous. Why as faculty should they try to show both sides of an argument in their classroom? This could only lead to un-biased learning.
Like scolded school children, some of the ASUSU officers who voted for academic freedom did not stand up to the “snickering” Faculty Senate. ASUSU’s Graduate Student Vice President Stephanie Kukic led the charge to repeal the Academic Freedom Resolution at ASUSU’s board meeting Tuesday. She said ASUSU had made a mistake and that many faculty members had complained about ASUSU passing the “Academic Bill of Rights.”
I guess the faculty is right. ASUSU isn’t powerful enough to get free refills in The Hub for us students. Why would ASUSU be powerful enough to ask USU faculty to support a balanced debate in their classrooms? If you support the resolution that ASUSU passed, e-mail Stephanie at: spkukic@cc.usu.edu. Remind her that students elected her to represent them not the Faculty Senate’s agenda. ASUSU: “Government by the students for the administration.” A good slogan for a doormat, but not good student government.
Tom Robins