To the Editor:

On January 23, 2008, SGA President Andrew Clifton delivered the annual State of the Association address where he laid out his plan to alter the current procedure for increasing the student activity fee.

From his speech proposal, Clifton makes one thing clear: He wants to remove power from the people and put it in the hands of his friends in the Senate.

Currently, the entire student body has the right and the power to vote in favor or against any increase in student activity fees. This valuable direct democratic system allows every single student to decide whether they are willing to pay additional fees for, say, a new student recreation center. As it stands now, a full-time student pays a $50 Student Union Fee, a $50 Student Recreation Fee, a $50 Student Technology Fee and a $50 Student SGA Activity Fee, plus additional fees if you take a lab course or are graduating. With tuition increasing 6.5 percent next year, and the economy looking more and more dire, it is time to spend our activity fees in a wiser manner rather than imposing additional fees.

Instead of increasing or pushing for more fees for such things as Clifton’s $50,000 arena party, either keep the fees the same or start lowering them! Tell your Senators to vote no on passing a resolution to create a referendum to take away your voice and alter the current procedure for increasing the student activity fee. And then vote to elect a new president in the coming election that will be in favor of no new student taxes.

Chris Wintrode
Graduate School Senator
School of Law and School of Public Health