Democracy? SGA President or bust

Author: DAVID WRANGHAM '08.5

Democracy is not the only answer. Indeed, many times democracy - and here I refer to the American political example - is a bad answer at best.

The advantages of a democratic system should be obvious to everybody - group involvement, group decisions and group investment. By including everybody, democracy seeks to curb the abuse of power, the abuse of minority groups and ensure that decisions are generally acceptable and representative of the common view. A quick look at the American government will show you the gaping flaws in such flimsy rationalization. This brings us to the Middlebury Student Government Association (SGA), as democratically founded an institution as ever existed, and just as ineffectual.

Democracy is SLOW. This is a point which I cannot emphasize enough. Discussion between intelligent people takes a good deal of time. Unfortunately the type of people who tend to run for office, especially high office, are not intelligent people. They are opinionated, always think they're right and will never let an argument die without a confirmed victory. You know who they are.

So let us imagine actually trying to accomplish anything with a group of such closed-minded people. Then let's add Robert's Rules of Order, as ingenious a waster of time as has ever been devised, some official Middlebury bureaucracy, because we don't go through enough at room draw, and finally add the fact that if your action offends ANYONE these days, you can expect a law suit. What can you accomplish? Nothing. Which, coincidentally, is about as much as the SGA manages to accomplish every year.

The one commonly known accomplishment this year would be the reduced prices for textbooks. Let us examine. First, I am giving a lot of credit here because I have no idea if it even passed. All I saw were a few dozen signs asking me if I would support it. Now, assuming that it did go through, which is generous, how long did it take? I ask SGA members here. How long? It should have taken an hour. I understand that there will always be some bureaucracy to go through, so I'll go so far as to give them a week. Anything longer is unacceptable.

This is not an issue with sides. This is a chance for the College to help us; to, and it's never done this before, so get ready to be surprised, save us money. There is no one to sue you over this one. Textbook prices are open and shut to everybody on campus. If teachers, who are the ones I understand to be opposed to the measure, are unable to see the value of such a proposal, then why not simply take the money we would have saved this semester from their salaries? I'm sure they would quickly discover why it is such a popular idea.

As it exists now, the SGA is a distraction. It makes the students think they can accomplish things. It makes the administration think they are listening to us. And it decorates the resumes of the people who will join our national government and make no impact there either. It is time for a change.

The Middlebury SGA Election Committee has rejected my request to be considered as a candidate for the SGA presidency because I missed deadlines. Does change have a deadline? Does doing what's right have a deadline? Does listening to what the student body is saying have a deadline? Then why not let me run?

My name is David Wrangham, and sponsored by the Middlebury Student Freedom Association (MSFA) I am running a pirate campaign to be your president. I seek to dismantle the current SGA and declare its constitution void. All current office holders would, of course, be expected to step down. Following this I seek the establishment of a new tribunal, supported by a residence hall congress to lead Middlebury. Democracy seeks to curb power abuse; the SGA has no power to abuse. Democracy merely serves to slow government down to impotency. Indeed the only time the SGA really does act - during impeachment proceedings - it forms a tribunal of its own to make the decision.

I challenge you, Middlebury. Is this the best we can do? Are we going to sit by and pretend that anyone is really listening? Pretend that the SGA is our voice? Does this campus refuse to act, when action is so clearly needed? Middlebury tells us that the SGA is the students' voice to the administration. Let us pick our own voice. Let us choose how we speak. And let us build something better.