Morgan Jennings, senior accounting major from Abilene, served as SA Executive Treasurer for the 2015-16 school year.
The Optimist has a habit of tarnishing the reputation of Students’ Association. I was lucky that during the year my own election coverage was written, the tone was generally more positive than what was released on Tuesday. However, I was regularly disappointed with the ongoing coverage of SA during my team’s year in office. I often felt that the Students’ Association in those paragraphs was portrayed as being useless and irrelevant – a waste of time and money, when I knew it to be a group of active students and forward-thinkers. I was dismayed to hear some of the more negative views of SA echoed at the election debate on Monday night.
Perhaps this portrayal stems from the natural inclination to brazenly slander governmental bodies and officials that almost all people (including myself) – journalists, consequently, being the loudest among us – seem to possess and are unable to curb. Regardless, I would like to respectfully ask The Optimist: what kind of journalists do you aim to produce?
I would also like to note that whether or not students claim to care about The Optimist, whenever there is something sensational happening students are reading and discussing it. In every science, even in accounting, we are taught that every input has to produce an output. Perhaps the bitterness and apathy that the student body holds toward both The Optimist and, in this case, Students’ Association is the effect of the cynicism and negativity that The Optimist espouses. Journalism holds power over culture, and I beg The Optimist writers to take the impact of their words on the general attitude of the student body seriously.
To the student body as a whole: I implore you to learn more about what Students’ Association does, and what they have the capacity and desire to do for you! Out of context, I understand how some of SA’s achievements can be underwhelming. However, I would venture to say that literally every student on this campus has been positively impacted by something made possible through our student government – large or small.
If the scope or direction of these deeds is unimpressive to you – there is probably a seat for you in ACU’s Student Congress. If, for any reason, you decline to fill it then perhaps you should consider how awesome it is that there are actually 50-60 students who meet every week attempting to make your life on this campus better.
