The continuing show of irresponsibility on the part of the Residence Halls Association forces the organization’s legitimacy to be called into question.

The group is a poor excuse for a student government at best.

At the organization’s meeting Wednesday night, several representatives questioned the legality of its general assembly votes this semester on the basis the group has misrepresented quorum this year.

Quorum is the legal number or representatives who must be present to vote on issues. RHA’s constitution puts that number at “two-thirds of voting members of the general assembly.” That translates to at least 26 of its 39 representatives.

RHA officials said only 29 representatives appear regularly at meetings so they have based quorum on that number, which only would require 20 voting members to be present.

It also seems the organization leaders are not against playing musical chairs to meet its quorum needs.

At its April 10 meeting, the group allowed a nonvoting member who stepped down from her position to sit in as a hall representative. That shift caused two other representatives to change their seat affiliation for the evening so the group could meet quorum.

This practice is unacceptable. Governments cannot play musical chairs to meet their needs. It’s wrong.

But RHA’s lack of respect of governing body law is nothing new this semester. Last month the organization created a secret committee after all the $82,500 it had budgeted for its movies program this semester had been spent by midterms.

RHA has denied to answer the State News’ Freedom of Information Act request regarding the secret investigation, claiming it is not a public body under Michigan law and therefore does not have to answer to the press or it membership, which includes the nearly 14,000 undergraduates who live in the residence halls and each pay the organization’s $21 semesterly tax.

This stance is irresponsible and unacceptable.

No tax-paying member of RHA should stand for the group’s reckless actions.

Likewise, the student groups that received more than $18,000 in allocations for their respective events should not have to pay for RHA’s irresponsibility.

The organization should hold a meeting as soon as possible to ensure its allocations for the year will not be voided because of its lack of quorum.

There is no excuse for RHA’s irresponsible actions throughout the course of this semester.

Those who are elected by their respective halls or group to serve on the organization’s governing body should do their duties and attend weekly meetings. There is no excuse for the group to have quorum problems week after week.

The leaders of RHA need to shape up and begin doing their jobs and answering to the students who pay its tax.