The Student Senate budget is large enough to pay the full tuition for a student this year, with a little left over funds to buy new vases for all the tables in the Caf. They could be paying off student loans with just the money they set aside to purchase new chairs for the Courtyard, so this does not seem that unbelievable.

What is unbelievable is that this money is being wasted instead of going toward something that will be beneficial to students themselves, and not only their butts.

If you hadn’t heard, the Student Senate has passed a motion to replace the lights and chairs of the Courtyard Cafe; allocating $15,000 to the task. They propose that they test up to four different kinds of chairs, with a variety of fabrics so that they may survey the student body and pick the chair that will be most liked and that matches the existing decor the best. As can be imagined, this has caused somewhat of an uproar among those on campus who follow these things, and has added some extra animosity to the already widely unpopular Student Senate. Not to mention that this proposal has been in the works for over a year now, and has still made no discernable progress, i.e. we still do not have new chairs in the Courtyard.

However, the fact that this issue has been receiving so much attention from the Senate is a problem in and of itself. It is as if the Student Senate is a 1950’s housewife, too insipid and humdrum to do anything more meaningful with its time than switching out and rearranging furniture. But at least the 1950’s housewife, once the 1950s passed, jumped at the chance for self-improvement, whereas the Senate continues to squabble over upholstery fabric.

What does it say about Student Senate when they cannot even resolve a motion as silly as new chairs, a motion discussed for more than a year? What does it say that it is willing to throw away that much money on something that unnecessary? After all, a few of the chairs may be wobbly, but they are over all still functional. Yes, they are at times uncomfortable, but that is what the surrounding couches and over-stuffed chairs are for.

It seems that the Student Senate is more concerned with the style and comfort of the furniture of the campus more than doing good for the actual students on the campus. They are only making headway on an issue that will benefit the student body’s butts rather than their political, spiritual, mental, or safety needs.

They are changing out the curtains, when in actuality the house has some pretty serious problems. There is a long list of other things that $15,000 would be better used on. The money could very well be used for more functional sidewalks, as the meandering pathways are inconvenient and frustrating during the winter when few of them are direct routes to buildings.

Or the money could be put toward building a covered walkway, or even renovating the tunnel systems for the same purpose, making them safer and convenient instead of useless to the student body.

Instead of replacing chairs that are still functional, the Senate could put the money toward replacing chairs in the Caf, which are in much worse condition than those in the Courtyard. Or instead of spending that $15,000 on chairs, they could divide it up between all the student organizations on campus and provide them with extra funding. There are probably a hundred different things worth spending that kind of money on that are more logical than the purchase of chairs.

Do not be fooled into thinking that I am this upset about furniture; the real problem behind this issue is the mismanagement of the Student Senate and their funds. Where is this exorbitant budget going? The Senate is allocated more than $60,000 for the year, and yet they have been overly frugal, and purchases’ purposes have not been specified to the student body. If the movement for replacing chairs is any indication, then we are to assume that the money may not have been spent very wisely.

The other reason I have to believe that the Senate is at best unreliable is that I submitted a statement some weeks ago to my representative discussing all of these things, and he never brought it up, and in fact, lost it.

So when it comes down to it, the chairs in the Courtyard are completely functional. What is not functional is the sidewalk system. What is not functional is the beat up seating in the Caf. What is not functional is the distribution of funds by the Student Senate. And what are clearly dysfunctional are the Senate’s decisions, organization, and priorities.