As a senior year student at UB, I have been able to observe student politics for a few years now and have noticed that ever since former Student Association President Christian Oliver took office in 2001, issues like the alleged wasteful spending have constantly been brought to light. When something like this happens, there always are the same kinds of groups on both sides: the "attackers," who, in an attempt to get elected into a legislative office at SA, spread exaggerated half-truths and falsehoods about the present SA administration, and the current SA administration, who defend themselves or other members of their party by denying the allegations across the board.
Judging from such events, I must say I am surprised why the SA administration has never thought of conducting a PR campaign to dispel what they call myths once and for all. While it is true that many details of the SA budget can be looked up on SA's Web site, I have never witnessed any efforts on SA's part to actually explain to students what SA's financial situation looks like and how they allocate the undergraduates' money. It is no wonder that some students suspect that the SA E-board is up to no good and in turn campaign against them, especially when an administration adopts policies such as the recently publicized closed-door policy dealing with members of the press.
I would therefore like to publicly suggest that the SA administration set the record straight once and for all with a multifaceted PR campaign. A good element of such a campaign would be a press conference and question and answer session where SA members, especially SA Treasurer Anthony Burgio, could explain how the financial side of SA really works. I believe it is in both SA's and the students' interest that such a campaign should be conducted, as a tight-lipped administration will only add fuel to the "outsiders'" fire. Neither side would have anything to loose since a focus of issues pertaining to student politics will, in the long run, greatly benefit the undergraduate student body.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
