Re: The Optimist, Oct. 10 “Congress votes not to change executive officer rules” by Jonathan Smith, editor
After reading the Friday edition of the Optimist, I was astonished to learn about the lack of academic standards held by the majority of our student government representatives.
The Students’ Association voted down a bill that would have raised the GPA requirement for SA executive officer candidates to a mediocre 3.0 from the present sub-standard 2.5. This letter is to all the members who voted against this bill. Do you truly believe that it is right to allow a student who is barely passing to run for an executive office that more than likely will bring down his/her GPA even more?
As Christians I believe we are called to hold our brothers and sisters accountable and to always have their best interests in mind. If we allow for “C” average students to run for executive officers, we are ultimately allowing them to fail by sacrificing their grades to serve us. We need to serve them by serving their best interests. To be a student body executive officer you must not only care about your peers and have the heart and desire to lead us, but you must also serve as an example by fulfilling your educational objectives. A “B” average is not exceptional, but it is easily attainable.
By the way, in the past it seems the student body has had no idea what the executive officer candidates’ GPAs were because they have not been published. I believe the student body has the right to this information. SA officers receive a scholarship that pays around $2,800 a semester. I do not know of any scholarships on campus that allow a student to maintain such a low GPA. This is our money. We have a right to know where it goes and to whom.
We set the rules. Currently, all of the executive officer membership exemplifies the high academic standards needed. That does not mean though that this assumed standard will not go unbroken. Please let your representative on Congress know that your standards are higher than a 2.5 for your student body officers.
Aaron Wilder
freshman IMC Major from Colorado Springs, Colo.
