Your Turn Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

If the recent negative and angry accusations are typical, it is no wonder that a mere 1,820 students even bothered to vote in the SGA election for the important and powerful offices of president, vice president and executive director of the student body. Many critical comments have been made, and many fingers have been pointed at all the parties involved in the process in an effort to place blame for results that didn’t conform to expectations. Some of the comments seemed to suggest that the offices should be awarded, on the basis of a past Homecoming committee model, to the slate with the fewest charges leveled against it by other candidates. It sounded like “dog-eat-dog” and “gotcha,” with punishment as the standard, never mind the voters or due process.

Fortunately for its students, VCU is a more enlightened community, upholding a democracy with “power vested in the (students) and exercised by them through representation involving periodically-held election.” When the students’ votes were counted, 49.9 percent of them selected Jessica Lee, Emad Maghosoudi and Kiffy Johnson to represent them, just shy of the total votes of the other two slates combined. That is important. The voice of the student body was heard by the Judicial Board, even if other voices were louder.

The VCU judicial board plays an extremely important role in the SGA that everyone is assured a fare hearing in disputes, a priceless treasure desired by people all over the world. The Justices, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, are selected for their character, judgment and maturity, and they take their responsibilities seriously. It is simply not true that their decisions on this case were made on the basis of their own personal political preferences. Others may differ with them, but they conscientiously acted on behalf of the students who voted, several days earlier. Anyone interested can read my official opinion on this case, written on March 15.

What should be important is that the SGA be a good servant to the community it represents. In important ways, it has the power to improve the life of every single student. Each election can serve as a lesson for making the next one better. Stephanie Kinard has it right when she says she “aims to clarify election bylaws to avoid future controversy.” Wouldn’t a more positive process, focused on issues more important to the students, generate more interest? Can candidates be content with their campaigns when less than 10 percent of the students bother to vote? Can students feel prepared to accept leadership positions in the larger society with such a lack of commitment to the democratic process? A better university and a better world will result only when positive leaders answer the call of responsible citizens.

–Jibran Muhammad, associate justice, judicial board