Hi 70 / Lo 57
|
Hi 70 / Lo 57 |
 |
Volume 69, Issue 141,
Monday, May 3, 2004
Opinion
Staff Editorial
EDITORIAL BOARD
Matt Dulin Barrett Goldsmith Zach Lee
Lost in allocation When the University of St. Thomas' Student Government Association kicked out the student newspaper staff from a budget allocation meeting, the newspaper lost more than the $4,800 trimmed from its share of student fee money -- it lost the ability to cover the university's governing bodies. The Cauldron, which is produced 12 times a semester, had three staff members at the April 19 SGA meeting -- two reporters and the editor. Not a single one was allowed to sit in on what the SGA constitution required to be a public meeting. Unfortunately for the newspaper -- and the constitution -- the committee voted to consider the meeting a "discussion" and closed the doors on the public. A senator who spoke with the Houston Press put it succinctly. "We need to make decisions freely without worrying about it being reported," the senator said. When the Cauldron's editor, Marion Maendel, filed a complaint, a hearing board sided with the paper but couldn't overturn the budget decisions. And even though the SGA pleaded guilty, it's doubtful anyone on the newspaper staff or the student body has any faith in the government at St. Thomas. At the meeting, the SGA voted to cut student salaries and stipends at every organization, allowing only the Cauldron's top two editors to get paid. We're interested to know how much the SGA cut its own salaries. According to the Press' coverage of the controversy, many St. Thomas students think the paper is too critical of the university and the student government, and allowing them into the meeting would only propagate critical coverage. The SGA would've deserved every critical word, especially words that noted the lack of student organization input in the budget meetings. The Cauldron, and every student newspaper, needs
the capacity to cover even the smallest of governments.
|
To contact the
To contact other members
of
 |