Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Listening to comments and reactions of students after meetings is interesting. It seems as if everyone attending had been in a different room. I expect they were. Our reactions often say as much about us and “the room in which we live,” as they do about the subject we’re discussing.

Listening to people like Tom Liles, who generously shared his literate reactions to the Feb.16 meeting of the SGA Presidential Roundtable in the last issue of The Commonwealth Times. His reactions contrasted with many positive comments I received from others who attended that meeting. Many complain about the same old, tired and dull, Power-Point presentations at presidential roundtables. It seems that Tom, even after attending roundtables for two years, likes them. Fine.

Near the end of this successful and productive SGA presidency, he said he had never heard of Jibran Muhammad. Unfortunately, that’s probably true for thousands of our colleagues. Yet, during the 2008 election campaign alone, perhaps a dozen of my letters to the editor were published detailing my program intentions and my positions on a football team, a marching band, an alma mater and much more.

What Tom saw as insulting, contemptuous, unacceptable behavior toward everyone was my good-natured attempt to encourage students to do exactly what he did: speak out. Isn’t that interesting? His letter will be widely read and talked about. That’s good. My goal is to stimulate campus leaders like Tom to ask for more from their SGA and their university, in return for the precious dollars they spend on student activity fees and tuition.

So that day, instead of a formal presentation, I stepped from behind the podium and walked among the students in an attempt to generate participation and ideas. I expressed my concern that financially-strapped students are too passive in seeking available financial assistance. I know the SGA could do a better job serving students and spending their funds but student demand for better service is often unheard.

As I said, we are paid whether we do a good job or do nothing. Many do too little. I wish students would set higher expectations for SGA performance and more-often voice their concern more often when those standards aren’t being met or when they disagree, as Tom did.

I wish The CT would report more regularly on the SGA and run more photos so students would be better informed and know who their elected representatives are and what we’re doing. I wish more students read The CT. Goodness, I wish more students voted. To say that we can do better is to state the obvious.

So thank you, Tom, for your courage in openly expressing your views. We need more articulate students like you, with active minds and energetic spirits. Honest, respectful expression is always better than agreement. I look forward to meeting you because we are in this together. As Walt Kelly’s “Pogo” said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Sincerely,
Jibran Muhammad
SGA President