The Administration has listened to the concerns of students. They have heard the protests against the locked-door policy, and immediate plans for locking the campus have been canceled. They deserve praise for recognizing the dissent between the student body and its representatives.
The Student Assembly has listened to the protests of the students. They now recognize the mistakes that were made when handling an issue that so deeply concerns the campus. The Administration deserves credit for seeing past the locked-doors vote, but the students should not have to rely on the Administration to read minds.
Nor should they assume that the Assembly will be able to read minds; not only must the Assembly solicit opinion when voting on controversial issues, but students must also tell them how they want to be represented on campus issues. This would be more easily accomplished if the Assembly established clearer lines of communication between itself and the student body. Had a forum for discussion existed -- or had information on the issue been available -- the Assembly would have realized how volatile the vote would prove to be.
As Assembly President Josh Green '00 said, "I think it's a clear indication that the Assembly could have done better in terms of informing and representing the student body. It indicates that it's something we need to step up." They now have the perfect opportunity to do just that, and indeed must do that if they are to retain credibility with both students and the Administration.
Having recognized these past mistakes, the door is now open for the Assembly to make a fresh start and truly deliver the student opinion that it represents. The Administration has made it clear that it is listening, and is willing to acknowledge the critical part that student opinion must play in College life.
Now is the perfect time for the Assembly to reevaluate the manner in which it represents the student body. It must take what it has learned from this incident, and move forward to create a system with more accountability and communication between itself and the student body as a whole. With the Administration open to student input, this will allow the student body to shape campus life.
