President-elect asks for input, support
Dear Fellow Students,
The student body had a wonderful opportunity in this election as there were three strong groups of committed leaders who earnestly care about the direction of our University. That being said, I am at once both humbled and honored by the opportunity to serve.
I would like to say that I truly appreciate the support from every person that voted. Whether you voted for our team or against our team, I am glad that interest has increased and voter turnout was so high in this election. That is the type of support that SG will need in the future to be successful in acting upon student concerns and working to improve campus life. Because of this high level of interest, I would like to encourage you to come by the SG office and let us know the problems that you see on campus, or if you have any concerns with which we can help. The only way to improve SG is through dedicated members that care about the University and the surrounding community and an active student body that takes the initiative to act upon problems. Thank you again for your support of SG and LSU. We look forward to a great year working with you.
Allen Richey
Student Government President-Elect
Student points out two code violations
Just skimming through the election code, I found at least two violations applying to the general and runoff elections held earlier this month.
Article VI, Section 1 specifies specific voting locations for each college. While it makes sense to allow students to vote at any location, it is still in violation; the ironic part is that this specific section is what is blamed for students not being able to vote online. If the Election Board will not follow this provision as it is written, why should it be applied in other circumstances?
While that is a fairly minor violation, the next one is major: Article X, Section 8 defines who are considered candidates in regard to petitions. Under (D) it says: “In a petition to levy, amend, repeal, or otherwise regulate a student self-assessed fee, the recipient or proposed recipient” is considered a candidate, binding them to the same campaign finance regulations as candidates for Student Government offices. The Union readily admitted that it spent well over $3,200 in its campaign. While the election code does not specify what level the Union was bound to, at best it was at the same level as a presidential candidate: $1,000.
Mr. Richey is granted by the Student Government Constitution the power to call a special election whenever he wants. I urge him to address these issues and to propose a real campaign finance regulation amendment to the election code; self-reporting of campaign finances is ludicrous when there are no requirements to provide documentation.
David W. Spitzer
Sophomore — Sociology
Personal data shouldn’t be online
What good does it do to now hide our information from the general public if we cannot withhold any of it from the students, faculty and staff at LSU? Frankly, I was safer before you reset the system so that I couldn’t hide my personal information at all.
In the past we, as students at LSU, were at least able to personally decide what information, if any, we desired to be made publicly available, be it in the published directory or online. Now, while LSU has taken the safety measure of deleting the published directory, they have made all of our blocked information available without notifying us of the change in detail. My hidden information, while it is no longer available to the populace at large, is now available instead to at least 30,000 students, staff and faculty who previously had no access to it whatsoever. This hardly increases my feeling of personal security.
Please, at least inform everyone in the PAWS network that their previously blocked information has been made visible to all of LSU, and that they must delete the information entirely in order to hide it.
Paul Jude Naquin
Graduate Student — Philosophy & Religious Studies
LSU produces well-rounded grads
I am writing in response to the column in the April 10 paper regarding diversity in the class scheduling process. I totally agree with Diette Courrege. I feel that if someone could work these classes into their schedule, without allowing it to hold them back, then by all means do so.
Last semester was my first one here at LSU. I found myself scheduling all classes that I really had no interest in, just ones that I absolutely had to take. Some of these classes I will never even use in my job. I feel like I did not learn anything from them because I certainly was not interested in the material.
If we had more leniency on the classes we have to take, then students could schedule things that appeal to them. They would definitely learn more and take that with them throughout life.
Bridget Conrad
Sophomore — Mass Communication
Protestors well within their rights
In response to the column “Just give it up” by Jennifer Galjour on April 11, you seem to have no clue about what you are talking about. You obviously have never felt so passionate about something that you just wanted to tell the entire world how you felt. I will admit, some of the protestors take it a little too far, but people are free to express themselves however they feel necessary.
I also felt that this was one of the most unprofessional columns I have ever read in this newspaper. What in the world does someone’s appearance or standing in society have to do with their ability to lead people in protest? This is in reference to the social standing of the celebrities mentioned as well as references to the appearance of the spokesperson for “Not In Our Name.” I think that “a dorky kid with huge ears” is just as qualified to lead a protest organization as a college kid is to write for a university newspaper.
I won’t even get into the connections between race, sex, etc. and war. That is an entirely different thing. I suggest reading some history on war and those related topics. And also, there is A LOT more to this war than Saddam Hussein. Once again, history comes into play.
I do agree with the suggestions of action at the end of the article, but nothing else. I suggest being more professional and more informed on the topics that you choose to write about. Protesting does accomplish things; you’ve sure been affected to give them attention. The result may not be what the protestors planned, but they are getting the attention they want.
Brittaney Kerry
Senior — Art History