In regard to the State News editorial "Legitimacy" (SN 11/30), there is a historical perspective to be considered regarding how ASMSU became the bicameral organization that it is today.
Prior to 1991-92, there were two organizations that represented students on campus: ASMSU's Student Board, the elected student government with taxing authority; and the Student Council, the appointed body of voting student seats on the Faculty Academic Council, chaired by the president and the provost.
When the constitutional revision process began in 1991, the main intent was to have the voting student seats of the Academic Council be elected, not nominated by chairpeople of different academic departments to further their respective agendas. While the perfect solution would have been to have a unicameral system - and it was discussed and debated painfully - ASMSU did not have the credibility to assume all of those seats right away.
The intent of the members of the Student Board and the Student Council when making this merger was to incorporate those student seats as part of the organization while keeping in mind that any change to those student seats had to pass the Academic Council and the Board of Trustees. Taking those seats over fully into one body was neither logistically realistic or politically possible.
The creation of Academic Assembly was an interim step to moving toward one board that represented students on student life and academic issues while still providing funding for programs through the Programming Board, funding for student clubs and events through the Funding Board, legal services, loans, maintenance of the government, etc. Now that ASMSU has 11 years of experience and credibility on the Academic Council, it is time for the students who are represented by this body to call for the reduction of the size of this representative organization.
A unicameral system can work if designed in a manner that can realistically represent the diverse people that make the undergraduate community that is MSU.
Brian Forest should be commended for having an idea that is about 10 years overdue. The State News is dead-on with its assessment that ASMSU has no record to suggest that reform ever happened.
However, historically, it just was not the short-term intent. Legitimacy only comes if those elected student leaders do the right thing and really reform their student government.
ASMSU takes student tax money every year and needs student involvement, partnership with other organizations and a whole lot of commitment to be successful. Have you done your part?
Jeff Wilson
Former ASMSU chief of staff
1992-93 and 1997 graduate
