By Jared Fields, Editor in Chief
Student government in my high school did nothing. We had one in name, but in practice we might have cleaned trash from a roadside once to get community service hours.
And because my high school had fewer people in it than some classes here, I knew everyone well.
My first Students’ Association voting experience here went opposite from any student government I saw in high school. I knew nothing of who the wannabe representatives or of what SA did. But I ignorantly voted for pretty girls or the people with funny-sounding names.
I don’t know who won the election and am pretty sure it didn’t affect my life. Voting for a freshman senator isn’t a big deal though, so it turned out all right in the end. I’m afraid the blind-sided student body won’t be able to shrug off a recent proposal, though.
This week when SA candidates were decided, an aside of an amendment also got thrown at us from nowhere. It was an SA amendment to make the position of SA chaplain a permanent, paying position on the SA Cabinet.
This sounds great, right? A permanent SA chaplain position couldn’t be argued against. But look behind the piece of paper on a busy table in the Campus Center and you’ll see why the 80 percent who approved the proposal in the results looks supportive, but duped.
The SA chaplain position was created as a temporary one this year, specifically by and for Nathan McKinzie. He’s done a great job and because of that, the student body was misled.
The chaplain will be responsible for overseeing class Chapels, serving on the President’s Cabinet, working a minimum of 10 hours per week and acting as a middleman between SA and the office of Spiritual Life.
The problem isn’t in the responsibilities, but in the precedent set.
McKinzie created this position and puts in 20 or more hours – for free – a week because it’s his desire. Making this position permanent means a need to appoint someone to it when they
feel obligated to do so – not what they want.
Now, before I sound like a complainer who’s raining on everyone’s party, this new position, like I said, is a paid one. And it pays well.
According to the formula on the amendment, the next chaplain will be paid around $2,000 per semester.
I’m not critical of the position, McKinzie’s already shown it can be incredibly beneficial. I’m critical of the possibility of paying a lesser- dedicated person to do a shoddy job while earning
that kind of money.
Although students already passed the amendment, the SA Congress must ratify it first, so it may or may not pass there.
It may not be my money used next year to pay a chaplain position if it’s passed, but this congress does a little more than the student government inaction I saw in high school.
