To call ASMSU (" ASMSU useless as student government," SN 5/22) a bunch of slackers shows your ignorance to what they actually do.

Slackers would not attend several hours of meetings every week and spend countless hours outside of these meetings with faculty and staff. People who want to boost their résumés would not stay in the offices working until 8 or 9 p.m. several times a week and then go home and do their class work.

If you really want to disband ASMSU, go ahead. But who will represent you to the administration and faculty members then?

When the police infiltrated student groups for no legitimate reason, it was ASMSU who stepped forward to make sure the same situation could not be repeated. When the administration attempted to remove students from the university without due process after the 2000 riots, ASMSU helped form an off-campus conduct policy that was fair to both students and the university. When several students came forward wanting gender identity to be included in the university's anti-discriminatory policy, it was ASMSU who took this case to the administration (one that is still ongoing).

There were many other cases in the past few years where ASMSU has represented undergraduates extremely well to the university, but there is not enough room here to print them all.

Instead of blasting ASMSU first, why not actually talk to your college representatives from either assembly or visit the offices on the third floor of Student Services to find out what they actually do? Better yet, suggest something that you would like to see get done. If - after you've done all of this - you still feel ASMSU is worthless, go get your money back. Just remember, ASMSU won't be representing you anymore.

Shaun Phillips
anthropology graduate student