[1186] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Is the UA a government?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Brian Bermack)
Thu Mar 14 13:01:15 2002
Message-ID: <200203141648.LAA01372@nakula.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 11:48:50 -0500
From: Brian Bermack <bbermack@MIT.EDU>
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
Warning: I'm an alum ('95) and employee, not a student. In this discussion,
that makes my views not so important. I just want to suggest a question
(well, okay, more than one) that might be worth asking.
Is the UA a government?
It does not have the power to control students' lives. It cannot arrest or
punish anyone. It has some money to distribute, but that money is not
collected from students in any way akin to taxes. Most students ignore it
completely and suffer no ill effects.
The MIT Administration is much more like a government. It can and does make
rules affecting students' lives. It can punish students. It does collect
money in the form of tuition (and now fees), which are not very much like
taxes but not entirely unlike them either. No student can ignore it.
I wonder whether the UA is not more properly thought of as a lobbying board or
a union, an organization designed to represent the opinions of the student
body (if there can be said to be such a thing) to other organizations (such as
the MIT administration, Cambridge Election Committee, CAC, GSC, Cambridge
Licensing Board, etc.).
Perhaps, if it is not a government, the question of whether it is a
"democracy" is a moot point.
Perhaps, if it is not a government, it doesn't need a system of "checks and
balances" or a Judicial board.
Perhaps, if it is a representative of the students, it is more important that
it actually share the students' opinions (majority? proportionally?).
Perhaps the students don't have enough opinions to warrant representation.
Perhaps the students would be well advised to convene their own
consititutional convention and form a body they feel *does* represent their
interests.
Perhaps there should be two or more UA's, each representing the opinions of a
set of students who don't really share each others' views at all.
Look at Peter Shulman's list of UA accomplishments (thank you, Peter, for
actually providing some - I certainly couldn't think of any). Whether you
believe the UA actually did any of them - are any of them the actions of a
government? Or are they the actions of a lobbying board?
I'm just asking questions here. I'm not a student, so it's not up to me to
answer them. (As an employee, I don't think I have an organization to
represent my views to the administration, despite technically being part of it
myself.)
I don't know if I'd vote for Creighton if I were a student - or if I'd try to
disqualify him were I in a position to do so - but I'm certainly amused by the
fallout from his campaign tactics.
Thoughtfully,
Brian Bermack '95
================================================================
From: Peter Shulman <skip@MIT.EDU>
Here are some things the UA has done over the past two years:
1) Lobbied (successfully) the Cambridge Election Commission to redraw the
voting districts around MIT to make it easier and more convenient for
students to vote in Federal, State, and Local elections;
2) Provided a grant of upwards of $30,000 for dramatically underfunded
student athletic (varsity and club) teams for much needed equiptment;
3) Fought (unsuccessfully) to preserve second term P/NR grading for Freshmen;
4) Streamlined the Funding Board (FinBoard) process to make more money
available to ASA recognized groups;
5) Preserved student study space on the fifth floor of the student center,
preventing it from becomming a classroom (for TEAL -- and, I might add, it
was precisely because the UA waited to hear that students did not want a
classroom there that made this a democratic process);
6) Lobbied (successfully) to avoid implementing a campus-wide, mandatory
dining plan;
7) Working with the CAC and Real Estate, catalyzed the opening of the
"Transitions" space in the Student center for 24-hour student use;
8) Ran "I3" CD-ROM project to showcase student residences to incoming
freshmen over the summer, better facilitating residence selection;
9) Working with the GSC, received D'Arbeloff/iCampus grant on the order of
$50,000 to develop student-alumni relations over the next few years;
10) Working with the GSC, lobbied for student interests for funding
priorities in the Capital Campaign (namely, for an International Student
Center, improved library space, more community and dining space, better and
more saferide routes, greater funds for Counseling and Support Services,
and better Athletics funding);
11) Attended public Cambridge Licensing Board hearings to defend The Tech
from charges of Racism;
12) Worked with Dean's Office developing improved alcohol policy;
13) Fought (successfully) to prevent community-destroying undergrad
transplantation into graduate dorms to avoid crowding (and instead
developed alternate solutions);
14) Altered structure of UA-Council, the UA's legislative body, to more
proportionally represent the student body (by living groups);
15) Fought (successfully) to redefine role of (what are now) RLA's working
in student dorms;
16) Through the MIT Corporation's Joint Advisory Committee, fought (rather
-- currently fighting) to develop a radically new and representative
decision-making process for policies that affect students.
These are all in addition to the regular functions of the UA:
Funding ASA-recognized student groups, publicizing and lobbying for
students regarding faculty rules violations (especially at the end of
term), interviewing and nominating undergrads to serve on Institute
committees (thus broadening student representation in decision-making),
overseeing all the Class Councils and their events, (with the GSC and ASA)
partially funding Large Events and Spring Weekend, gathering student input
on housing and orientation issues, running events to foster multi-cultural
awareness, and working with the GSC, DormCon, IFC, ASA, and PanHell on any
and all issues that arise that affect students.
Hope this clears up some of the functions of the UA.
--**Peter
>Like Sara,
>I always read these emails but never reply.
>But I have a question for all of you, minus KellyZ and company.
>
>What do you know (if anything) that the UA has actually done for you.
>Because KellyZ+group are under the impression that they are making a world
>of difference and I, as well as several people in this cluster, can't think
>of a single thing.
>
>So send your answer to mit-talk...this way OUR REPRESENTATIVES will get a
>feel for who much worth they are really instilling into our system.
>
>Cheers,
>Sebastian.
>
>ps. i pledge $20 dollars to the upheaval of the system.
> so 502 and 503 could be you!
>
>
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************
Peter A Shulman, MIT '01
Ph.D. Student in the History and Social
Study of Science and Technology
skip@mit.edu
24 Magazine St. Apt. #4
Cambridge, MA 02139
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