SA’s real problem
By Anoop Rathod
Published on Thursday, January 18, 2007
To the Editor:
Adam Shpeen '07 offers no substantive alternative to what he deems an ineffective Student Assembly.
As stated in The Dartmouth ("Dissatisfied students may impeach Andreadis," Jan. 17) and in a BlitzMail message by Shpeen to his band of naysayers, Shpeen suggests that we replace the group with a supra-organization combining the Committee on Standards, Undergraduate Finance Committee, Programming Board and Council on Student Organizations. Shpeen believes the Assembly is ineffective because it's not big and rich enough. This is hogwash. The fundamental problem with the group is that year in, year out, it focuses less on highlighting student needs to the administration, and instead wastes time providing services (BlitzMail terminals, legal consultations, minority needs) that the College should provide directly. The group is in the service industry instead of the lobbying industry. Shpeen's solution does not address this flaw with the body. Instead, he wants to replace it with a group that is more concentrated, more inefficient, more bureaucratic and further distanced from the student body.
I appreciate Shpeen's zeal for reform, but I highly question his proposed alternatives. Instead of abolishing the student body's only voice, he should try working within the Assembly.