Recently, an increasing number of campus groups have publicly endorsed presidential candidates for Student Association. We, as a coalition of campus groups, feel that our voices need to be heard as well.

After Pride Union held a public Q-and-A forum with SA presidential candidates Dylan Lustig and Taylor Carr on Nov. 2, it became clear that we cannot publicly endorse either candidate. This is due to the fact that neither candidate was able to show a basic understanding of minority experiences here on campus.

For instance, each candidate believes that on the whole the tier system is fundamentally working. It concerns us that one of the candidates described marginalized groups on campus not receiving funding because ‘those people do not know how to fill out budget forms.’ This is a concerning prospect. Also, when asked how they would address intolerance on campus, neither candidate had a solution beyond an individual’s ability to stand up against those being intolerant.

Shouldn’t our student government be promoting diversity and attempting to create a campus climate where students don’t need to stand alone against such intolerance? We do not intend to personally attack either candidate, but we cannot deny our worries regarding their platforms and stances.

Because of our dissatisfaction with the candidates, our groups are committed to taking direct action by becoming involved in SA. We are encouraging our members to join SA to make sure the smaller and diverse student organizations’ voices will be heard. Our participation with SA will allow us to take a look at issues such as the incident involving the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, whose event was denied funding simply due to the fact that it was celebrating culture through language.

We also recognize that candidate Lustig or Carr will be elected, and we plan to work with them to ensure our organizations’ voices are heard and issues involving marginalized groups on campus are talked about. Let this letter serve as our platform on which our organizations and SA can begin working together and building a better relationship.

This letter was written on behalf of Pride Union and Students Advancing Sexual Safety and Empowerment

 

Published on November 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm