The era of the Associated Students of Madison is over. ASM is a vain, bloated, corrupt and inefficient body that serves no one but the resume-padding careerist hacks who profit from the corruption in which they wallow.
ASM's bureaucracy is a corpulent mess of groups, with no checks and balances in the system whatsoever. ASM holds all the power. There is no system of appeals. The Student Judiciary can punish ASM members who break the rules, but consequences are minimal at best.
Further proof of ASM's inadequacies was the Elections Commission's miserable failure in simply carrying out a free and fair election process. When asked who provided oversight for the commission, the reply was that the commission oversees itself.
The current student-fee system is also out of control. The mechanism that allows ASM to reject a budget is deeply flawed and ineffective. Countless money is wasted on organizations that provide little or no service to students. ASM's twisted view of viewpoint neutrality forces representatives into a position in which they cannot say no\ to even the worst student organizations.
At the same time ASM is forced to give out hundreds of thousands of dollars to undeserving groups, those groups who do deserve money are virtually prohibited from doing their own fundraising after taking student money. Thus, these groups are completely dependent on the system.
Candidates and groups have attempted reform for decades. Matt Modell fought vehemently for students' rights against ASM oppression. Numerous candidates were elected last year on a reformist platform.
However, these leaders have been blocked in their efforts for reform by the aforementioned careerist resume-padders.
This can no longer stand.
Over the coming weeks, the Student Government will be holding listening sessions for you, the students, to air your grievances against ASM. We also welcome ASM members. If you can prove there is something worth salvaging, we invite you to try. We will use your suggestions to craft a constitution that reflects a streamlined, efficient and clean vision of government.
We will be writing a constitution that represents you. We will institute a streamlined government that strips away bureaucracy and petty in-fighting. We will enact major student fee reform, ensuring transparency and integrity in funding. We will guarantee clean, honest student representation government that is competent. And at all times, we will take your feedback, opinions and input.
ASM has forfeited its right to be taken seriously. Atlas has shrugged. Together, we can create a good government. We look forward to serving you.
For more information, please visit http://mad-student-government.blogspot.com.
Sol Grosskopf is a freshman and a representative of the Constitutional Committee of the Student Government.
\
