While reading the Nov. 10 Skiff View, I was outraged to read the incoherent opinion about SGA’s lack of communication to the student body. The Skiff assigned two reporters to SGA, and most of their SGA stories are weeded out. This statement is true because the Skiff published six SGA articles this semester compared to 21 last spring. Then it makes perfect sense why a farfetched article is the flatulence of a lack of SGA coverage.The editorial board mistakenly believes a low voter turnout is the result of SGA’s lack of communication to the student body. The two clearly do not relate because SGA does not throw support to candidates. Whether or not students vote is the candidate’s job.
Secondly, the editorial board says it believes spending the student body fee on elaborate picture plaques in every college will inform the student body on who their representatives are. However, a current Internet directory on the SGA Web site exists at no cost.
Third, the editorial board accuses SGA of not offering public forums, letters to the editor or sidewalk flyers, when in fact these channels of communication do stay active. SGA hosts a public forum each week in its House meeting that is free and open to all students, staff and faculty members. In addition, three outside forums were held on tuition, plus/minus grading and officer elections. Last week alone, I spotted three SGA-related letters to the editor, and this past semester I’ve seen SGA inundate campus with yard signs for upcoming events. We don’t use sidewalk fliers simply because it creates more work for our grounds keepers.
Fourth, the editorial board says it believes many students only think of SGA once a semester through the Activities Funding Board, but this statement is not true. All students who ride the Thanksgiving shuttles to Dallas/Fort Worth airport, take advantage of the lawyer on Wednesdays, meet a group in FrogPods, receive hurricane relief, go on the University Lighting Walk, or peer advising will think of and appreciate SGA throughout the semester. SGA is a resource to students and their organizations. SGA does its part to serve student organizations by funding, yet the Skiff does not serve student organizations by weeding out stories of their organizational events.
It is true many students do not hear about legislation because I choose not to flood their inbox. I believe any student interested in SGA would e-mail us or attend one of our meetings. TCU’s 54 percent of students living off-campus does not help any organization, but SGA and the administration are solving this issue by helping the new university union and new residence hall planning committees. The push for a new university union was proposed by members of SGA when they presented to the Board of Trustees.
Come attend a House meeting before you criticize what SGA does. It is extremely unfair to deduce SGA by meager Skiff articles. As an OSA, I couldn’t have been more correct when I told all 104 students in my small groups to not believe everything they read in the Skiff.
Trevor Smith, junior accounting and finance major
