Student Voice

Monday

October 14, 2024

Letter to the editor

Student Senate lacks appropriate governmental documentation

April 22, 2015

Wisconsin open meeting and record laws aren't only legitimate functions of government, they are necessary functions of legitimate governments.

I have been attempting to follow the actions of Senate through its records. Senate's records as posted online aren't complete and show alteration. For example, all of the agendas posted by Senate in 2014-2015 show as being posted at 9:02 a.m. on April 21. This makes it impossible for a citizen to ascertain if the agendas were posted late, changed after the fact or altered in some way. What should be an official government document now has no validity and is impossible to verify.

Amendment SS-14-15-082 "Student Life Operating Budget," simply states that Senate approves the budget, and not what that budget actually is. These are just a few of the numerous irregularities that don't meet either the intent or the letter of the laws in Wisconsin intended to protect and inform the public about our government.

Government documents are official records. Every other governmental unit in River Falls publishes their agenda and minutes in a newspaper of record. This allows the public to be informed, and protects us from malicious or unintentional destruction or alteration of records.

Senate should follow the example of other local government units and publish their agendas and minutes in the appropriate newspaper. For campus this would be the Voice when that option is available, and when not the River Falls Journal or Pierce County Herald. In addition, records should be kept in paper form and available in the office for inspection as required by law.

Open and honest government requires that the public be able to ascertain what government is doing. That is currently not possible with the incomplete records of Senate.

What Senate does is important, students and the public deserve to know what this important government body is doing.

Comments

Paul Olsen on 24 Apr 2015: @Kevin Hardy - One need hardly run for elected office to be concerned with what their elected officials are doing. Indeed, it is the responsibility of all citizens to keep their government accountable to the people and to the laws that govern it, and it's up to the citizens to remind them of what their duties are. When the Senate fails to keep adequate records, and fails to keep them in paper form as required by state law, they are working against the citizens and working in the shadows. It's time to eliminate the shadowy government. It's time to let the sun shine on the true actions of the Student Senate.

Kevin Hardy on 23 Apr 2015: Being technologically illiterate doesn't mean you are allowed to write this terrible letter to the editor. Also if you are truly concerned with how the senate conducts business please feel free to run for a position. There are open positions within senate. Unlike the local, state and federal government it is much easier to get elected for student senate so please do not complain if you have the means to get elected and make a change. Please be a part of the solution and not complaining about the problem

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