Letter to the editor

Student Voice fails to showcase Senate

Many have observed the necessity of a free and independent press in America. Indeed, for the proper functioning of a democracy, the public must have access to the information required to be an informed citizen. One of the best mediums for conveying this information is a quality newspaper. Our government on campus recognizes this need, allocating tens of thousands of dollars each year to the Student Voice newspaper.

Unfortunately, the Student Voice has not responded in kind, and has failed to provide value and coverage in return for the tens of thousands of dollars in public investment.

Basic information that members of our campus need to be informed about include: the actions of our government, the students’ potential role in government, when and where elections are held, who is running for office, when meetings are held, and the roles and duties of various committees.

In fact, in the recent Student Senate elections there was no mention of the candidates for office, and the only mention of where to vote was found in a paid advertisement from the Student Senate. I have heard from members of the Student Senate that the Voice has declined to cover actions of our government, and said that they would cover information in the form of paid advertisements. With this attitude it is no wonder that newspapers on campus and across America are failing at an increasing rate.

There will be many actions undertaken by our student and local government in the coming year that have the potential for large impact on student lives. I hope that the Voice can find the space to notice the public the information they need to be informed citizens in a democracy. Please note that for the information to be useful we need to know before an event happens, not after.

Thomas Jefferson once stated, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without news- papers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.”

Unfortunately, today we seem to be moving to the former.

Ben Plunkett
Student