_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
Based on minutes taken by Senate Secretary Rishi Sangani PO ’15.
_x000D_
Budgets on Budgets
_x000D_
During last week’s Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) Senate Meeting, Vice President for Finance Faye Wang PO ’13 presented next year’s operating budget to Senate. During this week’s Senate meeting, Senate will have a vote on whether they approve the budget, which presumably will end in the budget being passed and Commissioner of Clubs and Sports and next year’s Senior Class President Emma Wolfarth PO ’14 fist-pumping like a frat boy at a Lacoste sale because she1 gets a nice $800 paycheck next year.
_x000D_
1And the rest of next year’s senators whom you’ve probably already forgotten you voted for.
_x000D_
I Just Thought You Should Know … *passes out*1
_x000D_
In what was most likely a shocking moment of clarity when senators realized that beautiful Friday afternoons should never be wasted on Senate meetings, President Sarah Appelbaum PO ’13 decided to move the next week’s meeting (Friday, May 3) from 2:30 p.m. to 10 a.m. Immediately after the decision was made to move the meeting, Junior Class President Tommy Conkling PO ’14 could be heard laughing amusedly at the proposal from a hammock somewhere on North Campus2.
_x000D_
1TROOLLLLL IN THE SENATE MEETING
_x000D_
2What’s the difference between Junior Class President Tommy Conkling and me? When I miss a meeting I still have to do my job.
_x000D_
That’s All, Folks.
_x000D_
Given the brevity1 of this week’s Senate Briefs and the fact that this is my last issue of TSL for a while, I thought I would take a second to indulge myself and say a few words. First of all, I hope you readers2 enjoyed and learned something from this weak excuse for a column. I’ve done my best to be accurate, snarky, mildly entertaining, and fair. Sometimes my best may not be the best, but hey, sometimes it’s not just good, it’s good enough3.
_x000D_
At any rate, I realize that the Senate Briefs™ might paint an unfair picture of Senate at times. While my job definitely never has been to applaud the accomplishments4 of student government, looking back on the last two years, I realize that perhaps I could have given more credit where credit is due. There is no doubt that each senator I’ve had the pleasure of knowing is an intelligent, thoughtful, well-intentioned person. Granted, some of them put in more work than others, and there are varying levels of dedication across the board, but nonetheless, they are good people.
_x000D_
That being said, if at any time anything you read here made you frustrated, upset, disappointed, or disillusioned with democracy in general, don’t just write off Senate as a group of defunct representatives: Do something. Change is never made from the sidelines, and passive observers are never revolutionaries. If you want true democracy, if you want true transparency, if you want a student government that truly represents the brilliance and the power of the Pomona College student body, go to Senate meetings. Talk to your senators. Join a committee. Hell, run for office—if you win, that’s direct democracy and an $800 paycheck just for you5.
_x000D_
My point is, it’s easy to sit by and make jokes about how things don’t work. It’s harder to get up and fix them. But you don’t make any money and you don’t make any difference just sitting on your ass.6 And with that I say to you, so long and thanks for tuning in. Stay classy, Pomona.
_x000D_
1Sans wit.
_x000D_
2Yes, all six of you.
_x000D_
3Pretty sure this is TSL’s motto…
_x000D_
4Don’t get me started on this one.
_x000D_
5And that’s a hell of a lot more than what I’ve been paid to go to more Senate meetings than most senators for the past two years. What was I thinking?
_x000D_
6Never stopped me, but that’s not the point.
Facebook Comments