Administrative overreach destroys campus democracy
This week, President Barack Obama announced the dissolution of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways-and-Means Committee. The president’s bold move came after two weeks of gridlock that left the House completely unable to function.
You didn’t hear that story in the news because it never happened. Such a power grab would fall on its face as unconstitutional. No matter what progress would be made, such an action would impede democracy and infringe upon the freedom of the representatives the American people elected.
The only real over-reach by an administration into the affairs of an elected body occurred Monday, when administrators saw fit to dissolve the Student Senate Finance Committee. The SFC is a subcommittee appointed under the by-laws of the constitution of the duly-elected Student Senate.
Aaron Prestwich, interim director of student affairs, signed and delivered the disbanding mandate to a stunned Student Senate halfway through Monday’s meeting.
According to Nebraska State College System Board Policy 3300, “All recognized student organizations shall have a charter agreement and/or constitution that is approved by the Student Senate and the Vice President responsible for student affairs.”
NSCS Board Policy 6022, which deals with student fees, states, “…funds shall be distributed according to an annual budget developed by the appropriate student government organization at each College.”
The appropriate student government organization as established in the Student Senate by-laws is the SFC. The SFC abided by the rules and regulations established in the SFC constitution. They produced a budget, however some senators disagreed with it. While these disagreements deadlocked senate, that is not justification for an administrative overreach.
NSCS Board Policy 3250 states, “Students should be free, individually or collectively, to express their views on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the student population.”
While the Senate was in gridlock over the budget, the administration’s pressure for progress should not have further impeded the democratic process; theirs is the position of advisers or stewards, not dictators or overlords.
Sadly it will not end here; the actions of Prestwich establish a disturbing precedent, one where an occupant of an administrative position can unjustifiably usurp the liberties afforded to students by the NSCS.