Money makes the world go around -- it wouldn't be a cliche if there weren't at least a tiny shread of truth in it. Many Dartmouth students look at money as one of those things you just don't discuss in public, let alone wave around or give out. But it's very easy to have such a nonchalant attitude toward money when you've never experienced a serious shortage of it. Most, though not all, Dartmouth students have never experienced financial problems. It is thus easy for them to dismiss the financial problems of others as either nonexistent or blown out of proportion.
We can turn the other cheek as much as we want, but that will not change the fact that financial problems exist all over our campus. Every year, more and more student organizations lack funding for programming that they want to do. This problem is just as prevalent as any other on our campus, and there is only one way to fix it -- give these groups money!
Putting our money where our mouth is is exactly what the Student Assembly did last week when it wrote the Undergraduate Finance Committee a check for $5,000 to be redistributed to student groups who need it more than we do. I am continually amazed by the amount of slack we've taken for an action that I deemed as being quite generous and appropriate given the current situation. Many individuals on this campus have accused the Assembly of trying to evade real problems by waving money around.
I have one thing to say to these crusaders running around on their moral high horses: Wake Up! Money is a real problem on this campus, and it deserves to be addressed just as much as any other problem does. People complain about lack of good discussions on this campus, and I have been a vocal critic of that problem as well. But the simple fact is that sometimes talking is not as effective as giving. This is one of those occasions.
People who criticize the Assembly for dealing with the problem of underfunded student organizations instead of dealing with other problems on this campus need to realize two very important things: first of all, the Assembly does deal with other issues that affect this campus, including things as important as open lines of communication among students, student social space and sexual abuse on campus. Secondly, in attempting to lessen the financial problems of campus organizations, we are indirectly affecting almost any other issue that exists here. By giving student groups more funding, we are enabling them to organize programming which can address any variety of issues.
I do agree that money, while it is vital, is certainly not enough. It will not solve all of the problems on our campus, and I do not believe that anyone is saying it will. Yes, we must still address other issues on our campus which are not financial. However, we must also all realize that we cannot hope to solve Dartmouth's problems, or even properly address them, without money. Giving money is not impersonal or immoral. Realizing that financial problems exist on this campus and attempting to handle them does not in any way ignore the fact that other problems exist as well.
Dartmouth students are supposed to be well-rounded and over-achievers, individuals who are certainly capable of recognizing and addressing more than one type of issue that affects us. So let's stop saying that we can only handle one problem at a time. We should never limit ourselves. If we do, we'll never know the height of what we can accomplish.
