As the fall semester nears conclusion, it’s time to honor the tradition of assigning a grade to the Associated Student Government. Last spring, The Criterion gave ASG a C. Ben Linzey, ASG president at the time, felt the grade was fair but said he would have given ASG a B. Under his successor, Beau Flores, ASG has indeed earned a B grade.
Though ASG Vice President Jeff Vela recently thought a D grade would be an accurate assessment, we at The Criterion feel the overall function of ASG has improved since last year; improvement deserving recognition. At the same time, there have been some issues that still keep an A out of reach for the time being.
In order to finish on a positive note, the problems will be listed first. ASG senators, their friends, families and any general ASG fans are encouraged to read to the end before developing an emotional response. There are positive aspects that will be listed to show why the grade has improved.
One problem is the recent attempt Flores made to test the general competency within the legislative branch. The ten question test included true or false questions and did not require an advanced science degree to pass. They were basic questions that any senator ought to know by reading their own constitution.
Yet attempts to administer the test were met with either dismal performance or outright refusal to take the test. One reason that was allegedly mentioned for not taking Flores’ test was that senators already took a test at the beginning of the semester.
That earlier test may have been able to be used as a weak excuse not to take a new test except for one problem: the senators didn’t score well. However, even if the first test had been aced by all, there’s nothing wrong with additional tests of competence.
This may be shocking, but multiple tests to check understanding and information retention are common in the college environment. Senators being students, it’s surprising any of them could be unhinged by the concept of a test.
With an upcoming budget vote accounting for over $1 million, it’d be nice to have senators that know their own constitution. Mavs deserve that from the individuals they elected to represent them. This is every student’s money that is being affected; there should be competent individuals in control of it.
Another problem with ASG performance is the lack of legislation within the legislative branch. Most legislation is coming from the executive branch while senators do little more than dress nice on Wednesday evenings and vote yes or no.
Mavs deserve more than minimal effort from the senators they voted into office. Mavs deserve representatives that work hard to drive legislation that benefits their constituents.
Now for the positive points. This year ASG has engaged in unprecedented philanthropy. The senators’ decision to donate $2,000 to Hilltop’s Latimer House showed the size of their hearts and demonstrated their desire to engage positively with the surrounding community.
On the subject of money spent with good, heartfelt intentions, ASG recently devoted money to send standout quarterback Eystin Salum to the NCAA Division II Senior Bowl. ASG’s decision to pay for his trip, which wasn’t funded by CMU, allows a great player to represent the school on a national level and increase his chances to play professionally.
ASG is also doing something that would have been foreign last year: making its members follow the rules and holding individuals accountable when rules are broken. The matter of accountability extends beyond the student government. ASG is now holding organization leaders accountable, making them follow rules that were established in previous years even though such rules were never enforced.
Additionally, ASG is more transparent than ever. With minutes of meetings openly available and the existence of a press secretary, ASG has shown it doesn’t hide behind closed doors or obscurity. National government could take a valuable lesson from the level of open honesty demonstrated by ASG.
Unlike last year, ASG is not showering everyone who comes to them with money. While more legislation happened last year, most of it involved carelessly spending money like it was going out of style. The more conservative approach this year shows respect to the students, whose fees supply all that money.
With a little more effort and demonstrated passion, the student government can easily improve to an A next semester. The Criterion remains positive and hopeful that senators will prove themselves to be the representatives Mavs deserve.
