Senators justify votes on Florida trip

VOTED YES:

Dear Editor,

The NCSL Conference trip was a controversial subject these past weeks in Student Senate. I personally voted to approve the $18,500 budget for the trip. I had many reasons for this vote. I believe that as senators of Chadron State College we are looked up to as one of the groups of leaders on campus.

The leadership conference in my opinion is a necessity because it will help develop our leaders of Senate and two other student leaders from the college. Leadership conferences are there to help improve our student leadership skills into more refined ones as they help lead our student body.

This being a national conference this will help them gain experience through speakers and workshops led by very experienced leaders that they could not receive from any other state conference. The information and advice they receive throughout their conference will be brought back to the student body and be put into action to help better Chadron State College as a whole.

In my opinion the NCSL conference is something that our leaders of Chadron State College and Student Senate need to attend.

Sincerely,
Katrina Hurley
Senator At Large

Dear Editor, 

I put a lot of time into deciding how I was going to vote on this issue. The voices of my constituents are always of paramount importance on how I vote. I talked with a number of students before my decision, most of which had no strong opinion about the issue. Some said that other groups on campus get to go on trips, so why not Senate? Some students suggested that Senate fund raise to be able to go on the trip, and I voiced this idea in the meeting. With time restraints, most senators seemed opposed to that idea for this year, but would definitely consider it for further years. Students on campus carry the most weight on how I vote on issues.  If you are concerned about anything on campus, please talk with your senators.

Another reason I voted yes is that any student on campus can apply to go to the conference. The executive board of Student Senate will not be the only people learning leadership skills, networking, and representing CSC on a national level. Every student may write a letter to apply to attend the conference. One male and one female will be chosen to go by the content of their unnamed paper chosen by the advisers of senate. This opens a great opportunity to the whole campus, and I encourage everyone to apply.

It’s critical to note that this conference is not at all about fun and pleasure. This conference is about growing as leaders, learning new ways to better the lives of students on campus, representing Chadron State College on a national level, and networking to build relationships with people or entities that can become an asset to the college as a whole. The combination of these elements of the conference strongly influenced my vote.

Finally, everyone has the opportunity to run for office and be a part of senate. We senators put a lot of time and effort into making the most beneficial decisions. We spend our Monday evenings in long and sometimes very dry meetings. We spend our time listening to other students, and voicing their opinions to make their ideas become a reality. We do this because we care about this college and even more so about the students. I see this conference as an opportunity to learn how we can better serve the students. I want the executive board, as my leaders, to be the best they can be so they can influence this school in a positive way. I want them to achieve many things for this campus, and they can learn how to better do this at the conference. As I see it, this conference isn’t just a trip for senators, but an investment for this college.

Respectfully,
Taylor Osmotherly
Senator Edna

VOTED NO 

Dear Editor,

Last year, going to this conference caused an uproar on campus. It costs a lot of money and not a lot of people directly benefit from the expenditure. Some changes to the plan this year include taking two students who are not members of the Senate executive board and not getting the leadership certification they got last year. However, it will cost $2000 more due to the extra students attending.

The executive board did a very good job of explaining the reason they wanted to go to this conference. It provides opportunities that other more local leadership conferences do not. The board told me they used the lessons they learned to improve senate this year and I think to an extent it worked. I was not a part of Senate before, but I knew they had issues over a lot of things.

Here is what I think. Taking the two extra people and not getting the certificate were good ideas. I understand that as a leader, you have to constantly improve yourself, but I think there are other options aside from this conference. I was told at length that the attendees are provided with learning and leadership opportunities they would not get otherwise and that this conference is the best option for them to improve their skills in leading people.

Given all that, if you are spending the students’ money then I think the students should have a more direct benefit. When the executive board was explaining their reasons for wanting to attend the conference, they talked about many of the personal benefits they received from this conference. In my opinion, providing networking opportunities for a few students should not be paid for with the activity fund.

Given the fuss this caused last year, spending this money is reopening a wound that otherwise would have healed and been forgotten about. Given the circumstances, this was not the wisest decision senate could have made. ​

Respectfully,
Evan Baker
Senator At Large