Editorial Diplomacy missing ingredient in SCCOCC - SGA relations

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That a rift between the Student Co-Chair of the Community Council (SCCOCC) JS Woodward '06 and Student Government Association (SGA) President Eli Berman '07.5 exists is an unfortunate state of affairs that all lengths should be taken to remedy. That the tensions between the two student leaders has transcended the private realm and moved into the in-boxes of college administrators and Middlebury Campus editors via a mass e-mail from Woodward is ridiculous and jeopardizes the ability of the two positions to perform their necessary joint functions.

The primary complaint of The Campus does not center on the criticisms Woodward posits of Berman, which may be perfectly valid -- Woodward's accusation that Berman prioritizes the SGA's public image over its functionality is especially disturbing -- but rests on the method he chose to convey them. Many of the e-mails sent by SGA cabinet members in response to Woodward's correspondence in fact agree with some of the SCCOCC's points, but render his action inexcusable.

In his e-mail to Berman, Woodward "highly recommends that you schedule a meeting to which all are invited so that we might ameliorate the problems that have confronted us and continue the work with which we have been charged." He continues, "If you are unable or unwilling to do this, you will force me to call for your immediate resignation." It is unfortunate that Woodward did not exhaust his options for resolving issues through mediation and meetings prior to hitting the send button on his incendiary e-mail. Whether the e-mail was sent as a last resort or not, the action is in the past and student government must now look towards the immediate future.

Based on the responses from most, although not all SGA members, Woodward's threat to call for Berman's resignation if the problems are not ameliorated does not seem realistic. Section nine of the SGA Constitution states that "any member of the Presidential Cabinet or Senate shall be impeached when they violated the SGA Constitution or bylaws in a clear and intention[al] manner." In his e-mail, Woodward cited Berman's repeated failure to send out meeting agenda documents on time as an impeachable offense. Such language portrays Woodward as actively digging up grounds for an impeachment when the conflict is more akin to a clash of leadership styles.

Throughout Woodward's nearly two-year tenure as SCCOCC, and during Eli's semester as SGA president, both individuals have demonstrated an ability to pass legislation and otherwise positively impact the school.

Because one aspect of Woodward's position is effectively to serve as the SGA Vice-President, and there does not appear to be grounds to begin the impeachment process for Berman, the only alternative seems to be for the two highest ranking student leaders on campus to resolve their differences in a professional manner through compromise and mediation if either one desires to leave a mark on the College in the upcoming semester.