Students who care about how the student government conducts itself and spends student fees should be a tad bit concerned about last week’s ASUO Student Senate meeting. The nearly four-hour-long circus was fraught with troubling goings-on, shady accounting practices and, just for kicks, a little bit of old-fashioned allegations of racism to boot.
It all started with a bit of good ol’ capitalism: an American pastime we like to call “charge it!” Fifteen members of the United States Student Association, of which ASUO President Maddy Melton is a member, charged $2,250 to ASUO Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton-Neiwert’s credit card for a trip to Washington, D.C.
But apparently, the credit card charge was only a loan! So, Wednesday night, the ASUO Executive came begging Senate for more student money to pay Creighton-Neiwert back.

Melton said the request for money came after the group already paid, because she didn’t want to go before the Senate during Finals Week; we think it was a political ploy designed to make the senators feel sorry for Creighton-Neiwert’s quandary and thus approve the funding.
Despite the obvious issue with handing over student money, regardless of the reason, to an employee of the ASUO Executive, it technically isn’t against the rules. But the Senate should use greater scrutiny in analyzing such irresponsible funding procedures in the future. The whole debacle is reminiscent of a MasterCard commercial. It plays out something like this:
* Trip to Washington, D.C. funded on the backs of students: $2,250
* Chance of USSA students bringing meaningful, tangible benefits to the University: 1 percent
* Ripping off your constituents: Priceless!
Well, it’s water under the bridge, right? A few students got to lobby, and everybody had to pay. Forgive and forget, right?
You racists! Oh, sorry, just emulating the next fascinating portion of Wednesday night’s meeting. See, the next order of business before the Senate was to consider forming a special “student issues” committee. The committee would have the sole purpose of deciding whether the International Student Association should get money from the President’s Fund. Sen. Rodrigo Moreno-Villamar liked the idea, and he made a motion to create the committee.
But then Sen. Joe Jenkins pointed out, rightfully, that it would be unfair to all student groups to create a whole committee for the benefit of one particular student group. So Sen. Jesse Harding proposed an interim student-issues committee be formed while the rules committee looked into whether the whole idea was breaking any rules. That motion was seconded.
Then the fun really began because ASUO Vice President Eddy Morales wasn’t having any of that! He implied that the senators were discriminating against Moreno-Villamar and stealing his ideas, saying “Rodrigo presented the idea, but now with two white males supporting the motion,” it’s being supported.
As might be expected, nobody agreed with Morales, and even Moreno-Villamar himself defended the second motion, saying his ideas weren’t being stolen. The second motion later passed.
Racism is an ugly element in society that must be combated, but throwing the concept around as a political weapon where it clearly doesn’t apply demeans those who have fought more legitimate battles. We would venture to guess that not one senator is motivated by race, and Morales should give them some credit as leaders, students and people.
Until some evidence of overt racism materializes in the Senate’s proceedings, Morales should just keep his mouth shut.