Questioning Their Own Existance

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If an organization meets and no one cares, does it still matter? That might have been the general feeling in the Taughannock Falls meeting room last night as the SGA reconvened for the first meeting of the Spring semester. A few senators openly questioned their involvement in the group and if any of their time they have given here has meant anything. "What have I actually done?" Its a legitimate question, and one that the SGA may grapple for some time to come. From my observation there was a lot of open discussion in that general meeting, and students seemed energized by the blog and how it seems to openly the floodgates to actual constructive dialog. For those that are satisfied with their doings, and feel complacent, I would like to know if you are still going to feel the same when change arrives, and people start flying by you in productivity.

There was a ton of discussion about these entries and I just wanted to clear a few things up. "I am no Obama." First and foremost. I am not here to stand on a pulpit and to be followed and to get elected. I am simply trying to bring to light certain issues, and inspire people to think critically of themselves and their community. Not surface responses but digging into that part of the brain that would rather not touch controversial issues/thoughts with a 60 ft pole. "I am more like Martin Luther", in the sense that I have a list of general complaints about the establishment and I intend to nail that list to the proverbial front door (but not the real meeting door, because I'd get in a bit of trouble). I do not have to take the reigns and see the change through, but I can damn sure blow the whistle when I find something that is wrong.

My true belief is that one day this SGA will not need a ICWatchdog, and will be running so smoothly that I will not have to do this. But I am sure even if that were to happen, someone else with entirely different principles would arrive to change them back to something else. I do not write this blog maliciously, or with ill will. Only with the hope that this year and next year I can provide some insight to what is going on to people who do not attend meetings, and provide some criticism for those who do.

Onto other topics... It seems as if President Rochon will finally be around this month to introduce himself to the elected student leaders of Ithaca College. If you have any questions for him to answer during the meeting, please post them as a comment. Don't be shy. He has been quiet around campus so far, and I for one would like to know what plans he has for us.

The SGA will once again attempt to take a stab at the shuttle system. I believe most students would like the system, but there is a deep flaw. Everytime the system is proposed, the person who heads the project begins by attempting the re-invent the wheel. They always start from the beginning, and the last two (Former SGA president Aaron Bloom and current E-board member Jeff Goodwin) are attempting to complete the proposal by themselves. What makes more sense; getting something accomplished throughout the semester by yourself in an independent study program, or getting a rather large group (committee??) together, to do the heavy lifting and actually accomplish the project before May 17th? I don't know, maybe I AM JUST INSANE...

I am not going to go into length about the budget in this entry. All you need to know is that the SGA started the academic school year with about $400,000 left in the budget and as of Tuesday that number was down to approximately $21,000. (I'll let that one sink in for a moment). I think it is time the budget committee opens up its book for a serious housecleaning and overhaul. All records need to be placed online, dating back to as far as they can, as well as making all future allocations available immediately online, for all to see. The word is TRANSPARENCY. Something completely lacking in SGA.

One meeting down, and lots of work ahead. Will SGA members continue to question their own existence as a body, or will they take the reigns of their destiny and make a difference? I do not have anything close that might resemble an answer. I am just a watchdog. Be well and be safe. 1

The ITHACAN 1/22

Ithaca College Watchdog... Not SGA Watchdog... I am not sure how it happened, but this blog kind of got pigeoned toed as only pertaining to matters of the SGA, which was not the original intention. All aspects of Ithaca College are eligible topics, just depending on their importance. I do hope to have a weekly post about the new Ithacan's. This campus seems fascinated with the new issue coming out on Thursdays, but I do not think enough people analyze the paper in its entirety. Why should The Ithacan not be put under a microscope and have to be held to some level of accountability? So in this space I will go through certain article in the paper and even sometimes discuss the paper in it's whole.

So other than the paper pages being out of order (we need to get on that people) and the 17 advertisements for the Ithacan itself (OK really only 4, but they were huge), the paper was decent this week. The Obama and MLK articles were well written and interesting. Why though does every Ithacan article attempt to sound as if it is trying to be an entry in some journalism award class? Why can't everyone once in awhile get a gritty hard dug reported story, that actually shows the work put in by the author? Sometimes we need my NY Daily News than NY Times.

For instance the prisoner article "Cornell Offers local prisoners opportunity to earn degrees". http://theithacan.org/am/publish/news/200901_Cornell_offers_local_prisoners.shtml It is a nice piece about a new program being offered. But it is written as if this is groundbreaking, and never been accomplished before. When in reality prisons and universities have had this arrangement for decades. And with the advent of online universities such as Phoenix University, the process has become even more widely available. So why not mention the history of this practice? Or talk to someone in the administration here at IC to see if they are interrested in something like this? Or maybe get some stats supporting the claim that education helps inmates stay out of prison. Just some suggestions.

Next up is the commercial, I mean article for ALS, "Winter Wonderland Ball to return with elegance." http://theithacan.org/am/publish/accent/200901_Winter_Wonderland_Ball_to_return_with_elegance.shtml

Now I am all for the article writing puff pieces for events going on campus, because it gives a bigger spotlight, and hopefully more people will attend. Especially, when it is an IC organization throwing the event, targeted to IC students. But enough with half-truth stories, and fluffing material that does not need to be fluffed. They started off good talking about how the date needed to be changed to incorporate more people, but then dropped the ball when talking about cutting of the signature highlight, the musical showcase. Now wouldn't a cut like that deserve some extra reporting? "For the First time, ALS will be the only sponsor of the ball..." Okay now tell me why? Did the other groups that used to help not want to anymore; was there a fallout; was the event unprofitable, not fun, WHY?! Maybe that was the reason they had the cut the music acts, or maybe because SGA could not fund them adequately enough? The public won't know, because The Ithacan did not want to ask those questions.

And finally, yes the SGA article "SGA looks to increase campus presence for spring" http://theithacan.org/am/publish/news/200901_SGA_looks_to_increase_campus_presence_for_spring.shtml(speaking of pure Fluff). Okay so it talks about the budget situation, and how SGA needed to give 4 percent back to the school. Yup all true. But reading it, it seems that is the main reason for the budget shortfall. But is that truely the case? There are other considerations too... Maybe because the budget comm gave away money it should not have. Or because they did not conserve money in the Fall. The next part of the article is mind-boggling. "For the first time, SGA will sponsor the college's 2009 fashion show March 31 in Emerson Suites." Okay now here is the tricky part for the Ithacan. Can you connect the budget shortfall with spending new money on a fashion show. Uh oh... I think that was journalism right there. So Office of Academic Affairs dropped the show last year because it was not worth the money and the effort to put it on, and SGA, in a recession, decided to add this to their budget; and on top of that they want to deny organizations money and blame the budget on cutbacks. My head won't stop spinning.

This community needs more people looking around, asking questions, asking why people are doing things a certain way. If SGA had more people looking into exactly what they are doing, instead of just giving a couple quick interviews to get a nice fluff piece out, maybe readers would discover some truth. The Ithacan is supposed to be that journalism high bar, but too many times they fail to really inform, but rather mislead. I'm done for now. I may need to look through some old Ithacan's for traces of actual journalism. Be well and be safe. 1

Looking Foward...

...To the Spring Semester. Being here for most of winter break, I have had time to dwell on the problems of the semester that past, and what is approaching in the next few months. There are many issues and events approaching in the coming months, and I will attempt to outline some of them in this entry. This is an extremely important time period for the SGA and I cannot stress this enough. With the majority of the senate being underclassmen, the group has an opportunity to set in motion great things to be had in the coming years. In meetings, the E-Board has raved about the work of the freshman senators, but this work must translate into tangible accomplishments to set up next year. It seems to be trying times for the current SGA, there has to be something to look forward to, especially if current members want to keep their seats, and not be beat out by challengers. Just like in actual politics, incumbents must prove to their constituents that they deserve their position, or otherwise lose the next election. Also, seniors must try to avoid complacency and lame-duck status, that could bring down the groups entire productivity.

So let's get into the crystal ball and look what is coming for this semester:

1) the BUDGET!

Maybe the single most important issue of the year. Everywhere you here about the global financial crisis, and the recession, and now that has reached the doorstep of the SGA. Like many organizations we are facing a budget crisis, and are going to run out of money very quickly this year. The SGA was caught completely off-guard about this. While the rest of the country was dealing with financial turmoil, the VP of Budget and Finance and the rest of the e-board did not take precautionary measures to scale back the budget, or allocate less. In fact the SGA gave away money to groups that they shouldn't have a few times in the fall, further hurting the budget situation. BUT, that VP is now on study abroad and the SGA is forced to break in a new VP of B & F. I ask the question, can the new VP plug the holes up before SGA capsizes? And by that I think the student population would like to know the plans of the newbie as he takes the reigns in an organization with a tremendous budget shortfall. What will be his actions when an established student group comes to ask for a reasonably budget request and they are denied? Will students begin revolting, because the SGA cannot fund them anymore? All the while some organization had the benefit of receiving funds they were not entitled too. Especially, since this new VP was partly responsible for that in the first place. All I know is that the new VP will be on a short leash with his decisions as the student body president has already expressed interest in taking further control in this department anyway. But its the most important issue to look forward to in spring '09.

2) Communication

Speaking of our newly elected VP's, we also have one for Communication. Looking forward SGA must wonder how will he fare in his new position. The group elected an relative outsider to the group (in contrast to the other candidates) and I must ask, will this work out? Will he express an outside opinion, will he fall in line with the rest of the E-board, or possibly become a 'maverick' and do his own thing? His messages are already beginning to be received by the students, but will it continue, or could he be effectively silenced by the E-board if he gets too far out of line? 20 something pairs of eyes will be watching these new 'outsiders' constantly (or at least for the first few meetings).

3) Senate Discussions

Will the senate finally discuss something of importance?!?!?! No more chalking. No more ITS. At the first meeting, a senator NEEDS to make a motion to use discussion time for a SERIOUS ISSUE! It does not matter if it is not the most pressing matter at hand that day. It only matters that the body does something of merit with the valuable time they have together. It does not matter the way they do it, only that it is an open and honest discussion of relative importance, and a creative brainstorming session about what to do next.

Here is a list of possible issues that can be discussed at any time, in any capacity.

A) Rising tuition- It is the responsibility of the student government to discuss rising tuition, and a lack of increase in the overall student experience. I am going to have pay more next year than this year, and yet my student funds were cut lower, and my college life has dramatically suffered. To the average student...THAT AIN'T RIGHT! It would nice if SGA could devote some precious time to that issue.

B)Shuttle System - No progress since President Aaron Bloom graduated. It was a majority priority of the Reconstruction Team, and not a word since they graduated on progress. Come on already. This needs a specific committee and it needs to happen rapidly. The term shuttle system is starting to become on par with other terms such as: 'Chinese Democracy', 'Detox', World Peace and Pipe Dream.

C) New Administration - No united communication with President Rochon yet huh? Well nice to see he cares about SGA. Peggy Williams at least gave a state of the college address once a semester, but I am sure he's busy with other things. Maybe he hasn't give SGA the light of day, because the group has not given him any reason to do so. I am sure if the SGA did something controversial, say write a strong declaration for lower tuition, it would certainly get his attention. Until that time the senate will be forced to have third party communication with him through the SGA President. The senate needs to know however. They need to know is Rochon would like them to do anything (besides the stellar work so far) or do MORE in the eyes of the current administration. Does Rochon have a plan for SGA? Is he going to come in one day we massive changes for us to adopt? What about the state of our strategic plan (whatever that is) compared to IC's strat plan?

E) Support for Faculty and Staff - There were a series of email in the Ithacan last semester about a faculty being denied tenure and possibly for controversial reasons. Now I am not saying that we should have started a protest or anything like that. But would it have killed us to set aside some time for something like this. Instead of messing around, or getting ancy to leave early we should consider such issues, and whether the SGA has a formal opinion on any of it.

Any minuscule issue can be transformed into a serious discussion. A question about whether Public Safety unfairly targets students, especially minorities could be an all night affair, but we refuse to acknowledge it. Time for a change people. And the time comes directly after MLK Jr. Day. I am just saying... Be well and be safe. 1

IC SGA Vol. 3 (E-Board part I)

Welcome back (Kotter)! Some positive response to the blog so far. Its weird because I feel as if I am just talking common sense, but sometimes that's too much for people, and they decide either they can't take it, or discredit it because its too real for them. I would dare anyone to challenge me that SGA has been doing an excellent job this year, or that the Ithacan has been doing an excellent job covering student government actions. SGA may not be the U.S. Congress, but it is supposed to be the representative body for Ithaca College Students. If they fail to listen to the voice of the students, or are completely dysfunctional where they lose the respect of the people then they run the risk of not being recognized as the TRUE voice of the students. Where does it say that another group of people could organize and challenge the SGA's supremacy for student representation.? I know that the SGA is the current end all be all is the eyes of the students and the administration. The SGA is said to be the only recognized voice to the administration. But whose to say if that would be forever?

The only way the claim above would prove true is if the Student Government fulfills its commitment to operate as a productive organization. If they fail to live up to that, then anything is up for grabs, including complete dissolution, and starting from scratch. The reason any of this is even being discussed, even though some choice to ignore that there is any problems whatsoever, is the continued troubles of this years SGA. As much as it pains me to admit, the root of the problems must be laid at the feet of the Executive Board.

The current E-Board was elected with such promise, and had such designs of grandeur. The Reconstruction Team vowed to revamp the entire SGA and make improvements on the past few years. The plans were pretty generalized, but there was room and time to fill in the gaps. The problem was that the semester began, the SGA got going, and the plan never took shape. There has been no revamping, there has been virtually nothing going on this semester. Why has the SGA failed to live up the promises they made in April? Maybe the more important question is, why hasn't anyway (besides me) called them out before on their lack of action. I am trying hard to pointing out individual people, so please bear with me. It is not as if I have a personal grudge against them as a group, but rather personally worried about the state of the SGA in their hands.
Lets try to run down the list of problems related directly to the Executive Board this year. Maybe the first problem has to do with the actual size of the SGA. In the past year the E-board has increased in size, adding the alumni relations position, and the increased responsibility to the note secretary and the chairperson. No knock on them, but non of these positions are voted in by the students. And I'm sure they have good intentions, but in all honesty they should not wield as much power as they do during this session of the SGA. Its my opinion that an executive board with so much responsibility will function better with a small group of people working in better unison and cohesion, than a large group that has trouble communicating. I am all for diversity in a group and having voices from different perspectives, but when it comes to the E-board, they must be able to function, make decision, provide strong initiative and oversight. The senate is more for the diversity and providing the voice of the people. The executive board should be bringing the issues to the table, and starting the debate. This years e-board is exclusively reactionary, and has not shown the initiative for real CHANGE this year.

One of the other major problems has been the fact that two elected E-Board members served only half of the year. I cannot stress this enough; this is a HUGE PROBLEM. From day one the clock was ticking on these two members, and they were basically lame ducks before October break. It is truly unfair to the student body to try to get yourself elected when you know before hand that you can only serve half a semester. SELFISH is the only way to describe this action. And it doesn't matter how much good work they were able to do before the end of fall semester, because in January they will not be there. New elections were needed in December and now we have two new VP's coming in and having to learn on the job, and mesh with an E-board and senate who has been together since September. There needs to be strict term restrictions for VP's to prevent students who plan to leave mid-semester from being elected. We do the same for students who study abroad in the fall and return for the spring. It is discriminatory to continue that current practice. We shouldn't hate on those wanting to study abroad, but it is only fair to the student population for SGA members to serve a full term (student trustees are chosen knowing they can not go away for two years and must serve their position).

Writing this blog I realize that it is hard to fit everything in an entry without sounding like a pompous ass or going too long, and losing the audience. I just want to bring to light some serious issues, and I understand it is going to take some serious time and commitment before this comes to be. But for now, I am out. Be safe and be well. 1

IC SGA Vol. 2

The backbone of the Ithaca College Student Govt is the Constitution. I do not claim to know the full history of that document, or can memorize each section as an outside observer, but as a student I expect every member to know the constitution backwards and forwards. Its not an absurd concept. If you run for student government, if you get elected, if you want to represent the rest of the student body, you need to know the constitution. Why is this relevant? Because it is evident that the senators and even certain executive board members DO NOT know the inner workings of that document. Rather they operate on a cookie cutter meeting setup, with no tangible progress. Members of Congress, their staff, and anyone hanging around must know the ins and outs of every line of the U.S. Constitution. Is it so much to ask, that the IC Student Govt members know the document they are supposed to uphold?



It is truly sad thing to consider. In 2004, the student government completely revamped their composition, changing from being representatives to senators, and added new positions. There was real enthusiasm for what was going on, and these students really cared about being apart of the SGA. In the years that followed the SGA had ups and downs, with some years great things got done, and others it seemed as if the E-board would destroy the whole operation. But this year has shown utter ambivalence. No One cares. Meetings go only as far as the attention spans of 27 (give or take) can take. But why? Why this year does no one care or nothing get done? Its multi faceted.



One major part is the whole committee system, one of the core systems of the SGA. Committee's do the leg work for SGA. Senators, e-board members, and students at large mix it up in different committees to get the grunt work done. The ideals behind the system are sound and have good intentions. A large group will have a difficult time discussing so many issues and planning events or debating campus problems. But split into smaller groups, and even some of them split into smaller subcommittees can accomplish even more, further lifting the burden off of the large group.



What happens however when no one committees the system, and it basically collapses underneath the nose of the entire e-board? Lets leave out Communications and Budget Committee because they probably deserve their own posts. Where has been the progress of the circle shuttle system been? Where has the sustainability issue progress too recently? Where is the SGA relationship with the President Rochon or even Provost Roundtree or any of the deans? (beside our SBPresident's relationship with them? There are dozens of issues that have gone unnoticed this year, and the SGA is OK to let this just fall by the waist side. There are senators who chair committees all by themselves. There are members in committees who have no clue what their group does, when they meet (if at all) and what to update the rest of the SGA about. It is sad really.



There are reports that during SGA meetings that committee updates last few moments and mostly consist of members saying that their group met or didn't and did not have anything pertinent to share. The reports go further and say that during open agenda it takes substantially longer for senators to share upcoming events for other causes and openly advertise to the group. It is sad. Gone seems the day when SGA meetings would last until nearly midnight, because that is how long it would take to go over all the issues, and engage in serious debate. There is no commitment and even when there are sparks of interest or passion on a subject, the timbers are quickly extinguished by the chairperson... in the interest of time. The most damaging statement that can be said during a meeting. Do you think Jefferson turned to Adams during the Constitutional Convention debate about the First Amendment and uttered that phrase and ended the debate? It is silly to even consider, but how many debates have been squelched because of that utterance is unknowable. It just goes to further the claim that no one gives a damn. There is more to say, but it will have to wait for another day (what a rhyme?) Be safe and be well. 1

IC SGA Vol. 1

This is the inaugural IC Watchdog blog post, so lets do it big, Obama style. There is a lot to be said about what goes on here on South Hill, that is not being said. The Ithacan, IMprint, ICTV, and Buzzsaw only do so much. I am not sure if the political correctness of it all, or the fact that faculty and administration is looking over everyone shoulders so that some real opinion does not come through. The closest I saw to to this type of action was at the beginning of the year in an editorial in the Ithacan, taking a shot at the Student Government Association.

To be fair though, this was actually a cheap shot on the SGA. How can you criticize them the first week of school when they have never even had the chance to meet? It was actually reckless of however wrote that article (and I know who it was) as well as the editors who allowed that to print, along with the cartoon that adjoined it. The real failure of this has been the lack of voice from The Ithacan in the weeks and months that followed. Where have these critics been since early September? Had that article been written in early November, I would have cheered it for taking a chance and telling the truth, when everyone seems more worried about putting out a good image. An article asking why hasn't the SGA fulfilled the promises they made last semester, or a lack of any productivity whatsoever should be commended for its boldness!

There are soooo many problems with the student government this year it is hard to list them all together. I'll do my best throughout this blog, to bring these problems to light, so I beg for patience. One of the biggest problems this year has been the way the meetings have been run. The main purpose is not to discuss issues, or go over committee/officer updates, but rather TO GET OUT OF THERE!!! It is disgusting. Here are 9 Executive Board members (5 who were voted in by the student body, and 4 appointees) and 20-odd senators voted in by their constituents on campus, and the biggest item discussed every week is who gets to motion to adjourn the meeting. The majority of this blame has to fall on the chairperson. Without question, this individual has instituted this get out of dodge mentality and the senators have been willing to follow without question. A chairperson, who was not voted by the students, yet claims the most power during the meetings (yes, even more than the President). In short, she is so unqualified to hold the position, and is doing so much damage to the productivity of SGA it is scary.

In future posts I plan on outlining all of the problems on South Hill, including the problems our the student government. Check back for updates. Be well, and be safe. 1