Please believe us: We actually don’t enjoy calling out ASMSU. As MSU’s undergraduate student government, ASMSU serves an important function on campus. However, as long as the group continues to make major missteps, we would be failing in our purpose if we did not draw attention to it.
Different groups have different responsibilities to society. ASMSU works to represent students to higher authorities on campus, as well as offering students legal services, free blue books and free newspapers.
But recently, ASMSU has been offering students something else: a reason to be suspicious. The group’s delays in releasing the costs of its September retreat at Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa near Manistee, Mich., can’t help but lead students to wonder. Perhaps when, or if, the final numbers are released, there will be nothing out of the ordinary.
If the retreat was a simple and straightforward productive weekend used to plan the upcoming year and strengthen leadership, why is there any confusion surrounding the amount of money spent during the retreat? Why wasn’t ASMSU able to release the bill the hotel sent it Oct. 6, or the same bill re-sent Oct. 9?
ASMSU partially funded the trip with student money; therefore, it only is fitting undergraduate students should have full disclosure for what exactly they paid. Students need to know that information so they can make an informed decision whether or not they will ask for a refund of the $16.75 semesterly tax they pay to the student government. With rising tuition rates, whatever can be cut from the budget should be cut, even if it only is 23 cents ASMSU would have remaining at the end of the year if they had not gone on the retreat. If ASMSU really does have nothing to hide, then why is it hiding?
The need for a retreat for ASMSU is questionable itself. There is no denying the role student government plays on campus is important, but we can think of few other important groups that take similar trips.
Retreats should be for people in high-stress, full-time jobs who are unable to escape daily obligations and devote necessary time to work. The 50 students who went to Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa do not work full time for the university.
Cafeteria workers aren’t going on retreat to learn how to run a kitchen. Receptionists aren’t spending student dollars to learn how to deliver packages. These groups learn from firsthand experience on campus.
When we elect students to leadership positions, it is because we’ve already found them to be good leaders. If ASMSU really wants to develop leadership skills, perhaps members should spend some time with the students they are leading, rather than traveling more than 150 miles away to a resort. Or, if such measures truly are necessary, ASMSU should acknowledge the financial state of the times and consider having members pay out of pocket for such trips.
Out of context, 23 cents is not a lot in our society. But if it becomes an amount that can be cut from a tuition bill a few years into the future, it’s worth looking into.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
