In the past year I’ve written hundreds of articles about the student government’s antics, and I would like to think that sacrificing my social life and what used to be a pretty nice grade point average to cover student politics was worth it. But whether or not I inspired participation or contributed to historically high voter turnout this year, reporting on the “no-readership-without-a-scandal” beat was an amazing experience. Only God knows why students didn’t riot about the Student Senate’s weekly pizza expenditures.
My efforts were sometimes called sensationalist by the politicians I wrote about – or by their lovers. Many officials shirking their duties said I dug up dirt to boost my readership. This was a nice benefit, but in a democratic society it’s necessary to tell taxpayers when their representatives aren’t earning their salaries.
All but one of the scandals I “dug up” were either handed to me or done right out in the open. Just as in federal politics, elected officials not fulfilling their job requirements make headlines. Senators, to avoid having your photos in 10,000 newspapers in the future, you should try reading, and following, the ASUO Constitution.
Despite some flak, I loved my job. I came to know certain officials better than they knew themselves, and the heated debates about Iran resolutions, Ozomatli concerts and classy fan behavior campaigns made the Senate meetings the highlight of my week. Is that sad? Maybe. But worth it? I wouldn’t dare say otherwise.
So for all the unforgettable moments, it’s only right that I thank the people I came to know better than my family.
? Former Senate President Stephanie Erickson: Thank you for saying that talking is unconstitutional. Walking out on a discussion while claiming to advocate freedom of speech made for some hilarious newsroom discussions. Also, thank you for refusing to give me the tally of a vote you called illegally and for telling me that if I wanted it bad enough I could get it out of the recycling bin. You threw the votes in the trash. Obviously you didn’t learn anything as an environmental studies major.
? Former ASUO president Adam Walsh: Thank you for putting my articles on the front page with your vetoes of egregious Senate expenditures and for forcing me to study the art of the interview before giving me any information.
? Former ASUO Programs Administrator David Goward: Thank you for letting me practice the above-mentioned interviewing techniques on you before I went to Walsh, for always giving me more information than I needed and for being the only person in the ASUO to return my phone calls on a consistent basis. You’re good company and quite entertaining at otherwise boring meetings.
? Former Senator Dallas Brown: Thank you for fighting for two opposing philosophical ideologies at the same time by touting freedom of speech – chastising your colleagues for walking out of a discussion – and then proposing to defund two student publications based on content. Thanks for scrutinizing every program budget that came before you, for not being afraid to argue and for “cutting the fat” on excessive spending requests. Even though you missed more meetings than anybody else, you always gave valid arguments against the status quo, and I usually agreed with your assertions. I also hear you throw a killer party. (For the record, my job is to interlace the facts with your excuses. I’m not here as a political mouthpiece; that’s what letters to the editor are for. Sorry for any confusion.)
? Former Senator Wally Hicks: Thank you for being the voice of reason, herding the sheep away from actions that would have drawn further ridicule and drafting rule changes that attempted to eliminate the misuse of Senate power in future years.
? The ASUO Senate as a whole: Thank you for creating the “Make Senate Better” committee, brainstorming a dozen ideas to fulfill the name of the group and not actually doing any of them. God knows another committee is all student government needed, and you kept the standard alive by meeting several times to address “the little problems that weren’t.” Thanks for ignoring the real issues of Senate, such as poor documentation, understanding of job duties and a lack of accountability. And thank you for criticizing the Emerald when we pointed these out.
? Lastly, my editors: Jared Paben, thanks for the walks through the EMU, the countless hours you spent polishing my work, saving my ass from what would have been a couple of embarrassing errors and, most of the time, being patient with me. Shadra Beesley, thanks for all the advice, encouragement, inspiration and support. We all need someone in our corner, or on the EMU balcony in this case, and you always were.