To the Editor:
Student Assembly's decision not to fund this summer's Consent Day reflects a policy rooted in clear precedent, not in the irresponsibility described by Dempewolf's accusatory and poorly researched column ("Blitz vs. Sexual Awareness," July 19).
Our policy of non co-sponsorship was set by last year's SA, reaffirmed by this year's leadership and voted on explicitly by the entire Summer Assembly. I did not make this decision personally, something Dempenwolf fails to understand.
The precedent is intended to free up Assembly's resources so that they can be used for projects that further our mandate -- engaging in cooperative action and debate in order to improve the quality of life for Dartmouth students.
As of Tuesday's meeting, we are working actively with Consent Day organizers to create a solution. SA is using its strengths -- representation, advocacy and support -- to help the organizers secure alternate sources of funding.
SA recognizes that it is crucial to raise campus awareness regarding sexual violence and the ways in which we can decrease its prevalence. We have always understood that sexual abuse is much more than a "health" issue.
The fact of the matter is that Consent Day will happen on an even larger scale than last year and receive the full support it deserves. SA will lobby for additional funding while at the same time preserving a wise policy of non co-sponsorship that exists to ensure your student activity fees create projects, unlike Consent Day, that have little or no administrative support.
