By Matt Anderson

On Tuesday (Sept. 21) at 6 p.m. the Student Government nestled themselves in the Greenhouse and began their first meeting of the year. As per tradition, the University administration were present and kicked off the meeting with their, “Hello, I’m the Administration,” speech. However, not all was lost in a sea of overly familiar words. This time, the administration appeared to take a genuine interest with the student leaders. For example, President Rabinowitz took and answered questions for almost an hour from both senators and students who were in attendance. It would seem as if the students had finally gained a place in the hearts of the administration. Most would agree that this clearly had the makings of a great start.

At this point, it was time to address the issues and get down to business. Unfortunately the only thing that went down was the meeting itself. Words alone can barely scratch the surface for describing this… chaos (to politely put it). The best analogy that comes to mind would be someone jumping from a plane and finding out that their parachute was replaced with rocks. Another Senator probably said it best when he stated, “I was ready to flip the table over.”

So how exactly did this pandemonium start and what caused it? Well, it probably started somewhere between getting lost in parliamentarian procedure and questions barely relating to the topic. Then again, maybe it was getting caught up in the exhibition match of talking-tennis between senators or perhaps it was the droning on and on and on of the cabinet reports. Either way, to the average viewer, this first session would more resemble kids in detention playing government than a specialized group of student leaders acting in the best interest of the student body. How else does one explain voting and passing to end the meeting at 8 p.m. and then immediately voting again and passing to end the meeting after 8 p.m.? The madness doesn’t end there either. That’s right fans, after the second vote was passed, yet another one was called for to adjourn the meeting right then and there. Of course this too was passed. Hey, why not? Pass everything! It doesn’t matter what it says. Just vote, even if it’s something that contradicts what you just voted for.

And that my friends, is exactly how the conclusion of the first meeting came to be. Technically it finished before it even started. As a matter of fact, there was still business leftover from last semester that never got covered. So, by the close of business on Sept. 21, 2004, the senate found itself still in May 11, 2004. Some would call it confusing, others frustrating, but none satisfying.

Does this mean that all hope is lost? I certainly hope not because I intend to return next week (meetings are weekly on Tuesday 6 p.m.) and do not want to witness a repeat of the last performance. This is why it is critical for students (or anyone for that matter) to be involved in or at least aware of what’s happening around them. By being in the “loop,” students can express their opinion or offer their advice on pertinent issues. This in turn creates a stronger bond between the leaders and who they are representing. Too much distance between the two can dangerously lead to a lack of focus and thus poor organization, as was shown above. A positive example of maintaining these relations would be when President Rabinowitz attended the first portion of the SGA meeting (thankfully not the second) and took questions and comments (for the record, as a result of the interactions, he promised to support a reasonable increase in the SGA/Clubs budget). So, there are indeed lessons to be learned here. Most importantly, take time to reflect on past experiences and assess what can be improved. This is an essential characteristic of a quality leader. As long as that skill can be utilized then it is not the last meeting that I’m worried about, but instead the next meeting that I’m looking forward to.

Matt Anderson is an SGA Senator. He is a senior history and secondary education major.