[1108] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: UAP, what s/he does, and visibility
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Drew Starr)
Wed Mar 13 13:46:53 2002
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Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 13:10:40 -0500
From: Drew Starr <drew@MIT.EDU>
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
----- Original Message -----
From: "asarahm" <asarahm@MIT.EDU>
>
> People have been talking about "getting things done". Though they're
> not really clear about what they mean. In terms of
> getting-things-done <tm>, if you're referring to influencing
> administrative decision making, or changing the status quo regarding
> institute policy, the student governments have NO POWER WHATSOEVER.
BULLSHIT!
Just because Vest & Co. don't have a written mandate to listening to the UA
doesn't mean the organization has no power. It just hasn't come up with the
right way to use it. Example:
When my parents were in school and members of an undergraduate organization
similar to the UA (had no "power" just a bunch of money to disburse), the
food on campus sucked -- sound familiar? Rather than have committee after
committee have hours and hours of pointless meetings, the student government
organized a boycott of campus dining, and used its money to subsidize
student dining in the meantime. They organized community pot luck dinners
and really hurt the University (like MIT, they were forced to make up any
lost revenue to the vendor). Within 3 weeks, the administration booted the
campus dining vendor, and was working with the student government to fix
things.
The UA doesn't get it. It blames it's impotence on the administration's lack
of a mandate to pay attention to us. It dismisses the options available to
it without ever trying. You say that graduate students can effectively
strike because they have something the administration needs, whereas we only
have tuition to pay and that hundreds of people would happily take our
place. As far as I know, there are hundreds who would gladly take the place
of our graduate students as well. Your argument is typical of what I've
heard from the UA as excuses over the last four years. Goddammit, be
creative and take a fucking risk or two. Rhett's doing that right now, and
that's why he gets my vote.
> past election season. It's easy to write an email spouting how flawed
> the UA is. I challenge all of you to actually try to change it.
I am trying. I'm voting for Rhett.
Drew
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