In the State Hornet you read about five Associated Students Board of Directors resigning from their positions for various reasons, mainly because of not meeting eligibility requirements, including grades.

As President of Associated Students and as a student who has been involved with student government for the past three years, I see this every semester.

It’s disappointing. Who can forget when our former ASI President was forced to resign last year because of similar reasons? There is no single answer as to why student leaders are not meeting eligibility requirements because everyone has different circumstances, different educational backgrounds and different levels of commitment. I can say, however, as a student who is looking to be represented on a campus, statewide and national level, I want it to stop.

I believe that if we are electing students to represent us as a body and speak for us at any level then they need the same support given to other involved students.

For example, Athletics provides a faculty member to ensure that student-athletes who might be in danger of not meeting eligibility stay on track. They also have closed computer lab sessions for student-athletes to study. This would be a great thing to do to for student leaders, too. They are advocating for student rights and being developed as future leaders, and that takes commitment.

As President of Associated Students I could look to propose legislation implementing policy on study groups, bi-semester evaluations, or a program focusing on “leadership development.” Such programs can be conducted jointly with ASI, Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, thus contributing more support for student leaders. Still, the bottom line remains: personal accountability.

Abraham Lincoln gave a great quote on personal accountability: “I am not bound to win but I am bound to be true; I am not bound to succeed but am bound to live up to what light I have.”

I encourage all students to live up to the “light” they have, but I expect student leaders to live up to the responsibilities they are entrusted with by their voters. To speak on behalf of the directors who are outgoing would not be appropriate, however from first-hand experience I can tell you they worked hard and made a difference with the little time they had in office; I am disappointed they could not stay.

Lincoln had an additional part to the quote that read: “I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” Although this opinion piece is very critical, and some might even say I am high on my “soap box,” what I have expressed is true. I am not perfect, in fact I am highly flawed! I can say however, that I and the remaining board members in ASI are completely committed to you and to representing your rights as students. I believe you have right to know what’s happening with your leadership; I have followed through with that today.

This year during student elections I hope to see students run with not just the objective of winning a seat in student government but with a vision of direction for other students and themselves. I would like to see a strong commitment from every candidate to succeed academically as well as follow through with their commitment to student representation and living up to the “light” with which they are entrusted.

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