Xavier News |
Editorial Page
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Date Unknown |
| We are writing in response to the December
9th letter concerning compensation for Student Government officials.
It had been proposed this year that future presidents and their vice presidents would receive some sort of monetary or academic compensation for their time. The purpose of this proposal was to make it possible for qualified people of lower incomes to have a shot at upper level decision making positions. Several necessary responsibilities, especially those of the president, bar many capable students from these positions. The president, for instance, often has to spend his summers on campus, eliminating any chance for a summer job. He generally spends about 40 hours a week fulfilling his duties, making it very difficult to balance a work study job with his office and studies. Something has to give in a situation of this sort. In the December 9th letter, a large thrust of the argument against compensation centered around a debate in which the Bramer-Velasco-Donaldson slate spoke against compensation, citing the idea and spirit of volunteer service. Concerning those debates, we would remind the readers that the stand against compensation was taken by the Bramer-Velasco-Donaldson slate before they had any hands-on experience with the responsibilities and complications of their position. |
Since the present leadership wouldn't benefit
from the proposal, the decision to change their stand could only have come
from new insights gained from personal experience, a perspective opponents
of compensation don't draw from.
To remain rigid in the light of new insights and experience is not what they were elected for. Concerning the belief in the idea and spirit of volunteer service in Student Government, we would point to the last paragraph of the letter where it states, "It is our privilege to inform you." Privilege is defined as a special right or advantage," meaning that the spirit of volunteer service is only possible when everyone has the ability to volunteer. The privilege of leadership is not only for the privileged. This is not a new or uncommon idea, and certainly not a "volatile situation presently flowing in an undercurrent on our campus." We have contacted other schools and Xavier is one of the few without some sort of compensation. All meetings concerning this issue were made public and open to all students. We hope that if and when this issue again arises it is given more serious thought and less melodramatics. Todd Brennan, Senate
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