Sexual assaults occurring on our streets and in our dorms. Hate crimes being committed right in our midst. Students feel that the campus environment is unsafe. These are the issues that affect us every day.
While these problems circle all around us, our elected official in District 5 and others are busy pushing resolutions supporting Tibetan freedom and fighting tooth and nail to pass motions opposing federal-level legislation that they cannot possibly influence. Although I may not disagree with the subject matter of these resolutions, this is not what a city-level official elected by students should be focusing on.
Vitally important decisions on campus safety, tenants rights, the drink special ban and smoking bans have been postponed and placed on the back burner in favor of the pursuit of some extraneous agenda with everything but our, the student's, well-being on the schedule.
Our representatives in local government claim to stand up and fight for students. Yet time after time we see the issues that are important to us take second seat to matters that do not concern the City of Madison, let alone UW-Madison students. A question must be asked of our elected officials: Whose agenda are you pursuing? Whose agenda is this? Certainly it is not ours.
