February’s student government meeting on divestment was an undeniably tense moment for everyone involved. On top of the already bitter atmosphere, straw votes, secret ballots and nine hours of public comment added to the tension, eroding the student body’s trust and respect for the Undergraduate Students Association Council. Throughout the year, procedural missteps and oversights […]
Category Archives: Opinion
Alexandra Tashman: Insensitive rhetoric invalidates struggles of sexual assault survivors
That narrative is not only wrong, it’s harmful. In fact, it’s flat-out dangerous. Sexual assault happens all the time, in places that are supposed to be safe, and to people you know and love.
Editorial: Appointment of USAC officer’s replacement lacked transparency
Barely a week has passed since Omar Arce, the then-Undergraduate Students Association Council Community Service commissioner, was arrested in connection with a series of alleged sexual batteries against another student. The campus learned of the arrest on April 2. Six days later, on Tuesday, the council appointed the assistant commissioner, Alex Lee, as Arce’s replacement. […]
Travis Fife: Settings like Deltopia need community, police cooperation
I walked into a bedroom trying to find a friend and instead only found the taste of tear gas. Five minutes earlier, a police officer had shot a can of tear gas into the bedroom where I was staying. Then came an hour of nothing but tear gas being launched into crowds of students and […]
Editorial: GSA elections, contested positions call for bigger turnout
In last year’s Graduate Students Association election, less than 10 percent of eligible graduate students turned out to vote. Only after the voting period was extended did turnout reach the 10 percent margin required to pass a ballot referendum. This startlingly low number is part of a larger trend of non-participation in the graduate student […]
Aram Ghoogasian: USAC members should not participate in external lobbying groups
A free meal could signify a first date or a birthday celebration, but for student government members, it could easily represent a conflict of interest. While members of the Undergraduate Students Association Council are not being treated to steak dinners, a few have accepted expenses-paid trips to the other side of the world. Among these […]
