We are halfway through the current SGA administration’s time in office — a perfect time to look back on the semester and see how well our president and vice president have fulfilled their campaign promises.
Both Sarah Cooper, marketing junior and SGA president, and Maria Rossi, English junior and SGA vice president, made government transparency and accessibility key issues in their respective runs for SGA office. This has turned out to be a major disappointment.
They promised their constituents a “Know Your SGA” board that would identify the SGA members and provide students with their contact information as well as updates as to what each senator and executive board member was working on.
This board has never materialized, apparently due to concerns that it would be, “…placed in a low traffic area…a waste of time.”
It could be argued, however, that a board in a low traffic area is infinitely better than no board at all.
While she is personally available, Rossi also promised an updated SGA Web site, complete with the minutes from weekly senate meetings, as required by SGA bylaws, and “a weekly poll on important issues.” Check the Web site, however, and you can find minutes from senate meetings as recent as spring of 2006.
Admittedly, SGA leaders reported difficulties with the Web site.
However, it’s doubtable that posting minutes from a meeting poses an insurmountable obstacle. Such an excuse seems fairly specious.
After all, the Web site was updated with photos of all members of SGA, as well as their contact information, earlier this semester.
To replace the lack of a Web site, Rossi says she will create a weekly newsletter, complete will all of the necessary information.
However, it’s questionable that the newsletter will materialize. SGA officers are very busy people. How, if they can’t find the time or means to update the Web site or make a bulletin board, do they expect to create a weekly newsletter?
It must be acknowledged, however, that the SGA leaders are keeping to local customs. After all, nothing is more New Orleanian than Mardi Gras, po-boys and promising transparency in government only to fail in delivery.
On the other hand, some things have gone very well. Cooper promised to streamline the allocations process, something that seems to have improved.
Organizations as a whole seem to be happier and many are getting more money than before. Funding for the Richard Frank Grant, too, has been expanded.
Progress has also been made on the issue of campus safety, though much later and in a different form than we were led to expect. Planning has begun to meet with Tulane and Loyola security teams to discuss pedestrian safety, though no concrete results have been produced.
Anti-crime plans seem to have been forgotten or abandoned. Cooper’s promised “regular safety seminars” have not materialized and on-campus crime is still a problem.
After lengthy evaluation, we at The Maroon have a message for the SGA: don’t give up. After all, the administration is only halfway through its time in office. That leaves a whole semester to work on those promises that haven’t yet panned out.
