This weekend one of our SUNY Student Assembly delegates skipped out on the Assembly's one conference this semester. Going to that conference is the sole required duty of UB's four delegates. Because that delegate, Thomas Martin, failed in the one duty for which he was paid, he should resign immediately.
The role of a delegate is loosely defined. When The Spectrum administered grades to UB's SA executives based on campaign promises, the delegates received a grading of a "D." The grade was based on unrealized promises to lead a visible voter registration drive. While that is not their specific duty, it was a campaign promise - and one cannot argue attending SUNY SA meetings is not within the job description of a delegate. Now that one such meeting has come along, Martin decided he had better things to do.
According to members of the Student Association, Martin chose to forgo the conference to catch up on hours at another job. This is unacceptable. Of course there are always extreme matters like illness and family emergencies, which would be excusable, but working at another job is not. Martin's first responsibility is to the UB students, whom he is paid to represent.
To top off his irresponsible behavior Martin waited to inform other delegates he would not be attending the morning of the conference, precluding the possibility of an alternate. So UB lost one vote in any measures brought up this weekend.
SA President Anthony Burgio also failed to attend the conference. He has a vote which UB could have used to its advantage, but that said, student government presidents often do not attend SUNY SA conferences because of their other responsibilities.
The SUNY Student Assembly is an important governmental body in a large university system. The total budget of the SUNY system is $7.8 billion dollars and the assembly has some leverage in how this huge amount of money is spent. Assembly members vote to elect a president who has a seat on the SUNY Board of Trustees. This board recently approved a raise in the pay scale for university presidents and has the final say in all matters in the university system.
Delegates receive a stipend from the mandatory student fee. Although only $1,400 per year is dedicated to SUNY SA from the UB Student Association budget, any stipend received without doing the necessary job is a waste of money and a breach of confidence. Thomas Martin should resign if he is unable or unwilling to fulfill his meager responsibilities as a delegate.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
