Bustamante embodies ineffectiveness of SGA
By Dan O'Brien
Collegian editor
November 16, 2004
First, former Student Government Association Speaker Jared Nokes attempted to remove the African Latino Asian Native American Caucus Senate seats last year; then, members associated with ALANA released the infamous "KKK-Nine" photos in September; and now, e-mails between former SGA Speaker Patrick Higgins and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Michael Gargano are causing controversy.
Last Wednesday, SGA President Eduardo Bustamante proclaimed that he would no longer be working with the vice chancellor on any issues involving the Senate. His decision is no surprise. Not doing real work is what the SGA does best.
Several letters to the editor of the Daily Collegian in recent weeks have attacked the SGA's inaction on student issues, and one even called for the disbandment of the SGA and the Office of ALANA Affairs. This opinion seems a bit extreme - even the author said she wasn't serious - but the thought is not too far-fetched. I would certainly be opposed to the dismantling of either SGA or ALANA, because I believe in democracy. However, there have been many calls for these organizations to start from scratch, which at this point does not seem like a bad idea.
I suppose my anger toward these organizations stems from the lack of action they have taken on issues regarding the betterment of students at this university. Right now, each student pays about $80 to go towards the SGA. For what? This hard-earned money goes toward an organization plagued by students who bicker back and forth, put forth allegations against each other, call each other racist, and worst of all, don't get anything of real value accomplished.
One of the most disappointing actions of the SGA happened at their Nov. 10 meeting when Bustamante made it official that he would no longer work with Vice Chancellor Gargano on any issues involving the SGA due to the recent e-mail controversy.
It should be pointed out that never once did Bustamante mention how these e-mails would somehow hurt the student body. Never once did he give solid reasons as to how these e-mails would negatively impact the SGA. And, never once did he mention how these e-mails would impact his work with the administration. From an outsider's perspective, all his reasons appear to be personal.
Bustamante was upset because he was left out of the process, but his decision not to work with Gargano crossed the line of letting personal feelings get in the way of politics.
The e-mails bewteen Gargano and former SGA Speaker Patrick Higgins were Higgins' attempt to remove funding for graduate student Gladys Franco's new position as interim Director of the Office of ALANA Affairs. In the e-mails, Higgins told Gargano that he believed Franco's position interfered with the SGA bylaws. He also persistently asked Gargano when he would stop funding Franco's position.
ALANA claimed they were upset over the plan to pull funding for Franco's new position as well as an attempt to "dismantle the Office of ALANA Affairs," according to memos distributed at the last SGA meeting.
For the record, I have read every single one of these mentioned e-mails. Nothing I have read indicates that Gargano, Higgins, or anyone else involved in the e-mails were trying to dismantle ALANA.
Whether or not it was fair for Higgins to send all the e-mails is a legitimate question. But does it deserve the attention that it's getting?
I cannot put my opinion of Bustamante's decision not to work with Gargano into plainer terms: this decision is not in the best interests of the student body. Granted, the activity in which Gargano participated was not fair to Bustamante; but with the outrageous rises in tuition over the past three years, the tremendous cuts in state funding, and the ridiculous prices of text books (and a new textbook rental system that needs to be implemented soon), Bustamante is missing the target he should be shooting towards, which is helping all the students of UMass.
Our SGA president should keep in mind that in politics, you cannot always get along with your constituents. I do not think Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat were exactly pleased to hold talks with each other, but they still at least tried to work on the real issues of the day. (How well they did this is up for another discussion, but they still tried!)
After Bustamante's awful decision, he had few words to back himself up at the SGA meeting.
"[The e-mails are] especially troubling for me," Bustamante said. "I saw a lot of information withheld from me ... I saw a lot of dishonesty exposed to me."
His few words reflect that he is just a president with hurt feelings, which might be the reason why he never once submitted a plan as to how he would now conduct business with the administration. All he has said so far is that he plans to work with only Chancellor John Lombardi's office. But, with ALANA's recent attacks on the administration's new Diversity Committee, I somehow doubt that Lombardi will be greeting Bustamante with open arms.
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