Response to “No ifs, ands, or butts”

I am deeply disappointed in the representation of Student Senate presented in the recent article “No ifs, ands, or butts.” Ms Nickel’s writing showed a profound lack of knowledge concerning both the situation and the capabilities of the Student Senate.

Most frustrating was the claim that students see the replacement of the chairs in the Courtyard Cafe as “unnecessary.” Multiple surveys of the student population were given, the results showing an overwhelming majority supporting the renovation project. Even if this undertaking were scrapped, a redistribution of the funds to other student groups would not only lengthen the bureaucratic process that seems to already irk Ms. Nickels, but would also result in negligible gains for each recipient. In the same vein, the proposed alternative projects given by the author suggest that she possesses little to no knowledge of the cost of work on such grandiose scales or of the needs of the campus. The renovation of tunnels would far exceed the project budget that is presented as ‘wasteful,’ and would not be handled by Student Senate. In addition, placing any more sidewalks on this campus would result in little more than a sea of concrete with the end benefit of, at most, thirty to forty seconds faster travel time.

Sadly, most of these falsehoods and misunderstandings would have been corrected prior to the publication of the piece had the author bothered to contact anyone associated with the project. As a member of Student Senate I am saddened that you have had a poor personal experience with the organization, but to project your personal feelings at the body as a whole is irresponsible for a journalist.

I encourage the author, and all students on campus, to look out for a chance to help pick out the new chairs in the coming weeks.

 

Nick Nigro ’14

Student Senate Speaker