An Open Letter to SGA

Guest Commentary
Matthew Wagner
Class of 2016

Last semester, the Student Government Association passed a resolution asking that DPS officers to be equipped with firearms. In the wake of the December shelter in place, President Garvey asked DPS to review their practices to ensure the safety of students. Much to my surprise, they responded by purchasing firearms and putting them in two secure sites on campus so that if DPS officers should need to get them, they are available.

It’s important to point out that the only reason the school examined and amended their policy is because of the shelter in place. If it was just the resolution from SGA, they would have put it in a circular file cabinet where it belongs. The truth is when this resolution was passed in November of last semester, there was not a public cry for arming of DPS officers. In fact, quite the opposite. In conversations I have had with people, they would say that either they were indifferent to the proposal or completely opposed to it. Yet that did not stop SGA from passing it and Anne St. Amant from signing it. But when SGA passed a bill supported by ANC Commissioner Isaiah Burroughs that would have provided Metro Rail to all CUA Students for $1/day during a semester, St. Amant vetoed it.

Remember, this is the same person that signed a resolution supporting the arming of DPS officers that many students opposed at the time, and many of which still oppose that action. But when she sees a good bill that would help commuters, nursing students going to clinicals, politics students going to internships and many others, she vetoes it.

Now St. Amant and Vice President James Benedek have tried to argue that resolutions are a waste of time since they are merely suggestions. The part that they are suggestions is true. But they are far from a waste of time. If changes need to be done on behalf of the student body, and the only thing you have at your disposal is a resolution, then write, pass, and sign the resolution. Perhaps write one encouraging the school to make the mandatory Aetna Insurance an opt-in program instead of an opt-out so students are not saddled with an unnecessary $2000 bill. Perhaps pass a resolution supporting that students who are written up should be given the official RA write up about them. We passed that last year and as of today that has not happened. A handful of students opposed that measure, among them were St. Amant and Benedek. But when they do finally support a resolution, it is a gun resolution that many students oppose.

The truth is there are problems on campus worth fixing that SGA is not fixing. When a good proposal comes forward that SGA and the student body support, St. Amant says no. The idea that SGA speaks for students is false. They do not. St. Amant and Benedek honestly are not there for the right reasons. President and Vice President are resume builders to them and that’s about it. We are all very impressed. St. Amant proved she is there for the wrong reasons by vetoing a student supported bill that would have benefited the whole student body. Your job is to be a voice for students and you failed by speaking on issues not important to us but standing in the way of proposals we want. Either get over yourself and be the voice of students you claim to be, or quit.