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One week ago, America lost more than 70,000 jobs in a day that news organizations, including CNN, dubbed “Bloody Monday.” Many of the job cuts took place in the services sector-where many college students work to pay for college and raise money to finance their dreams.
As an at-large senator for the SGA, I am deeply concerned with the future of our generation, especially as our nation’s economy continues to ail. I am also concerned with the lack of leadership and initiative among students, especially the SGA.
For the record, the SGA is not ignorant of the students’ situation and has been fighting for a Metra initiative, decreases in tuition and course fees, lower book costs and an increase in scholarships at Columbia. However, nothing has actually been done to make a serious dent in the economic woes being experienced by students.
Prior to winter break, I struggled to convene a forum, which would allow students to discuss the current financial situation and what could be done to help students here at Columbia. The forum-which was scheduled for two days in the first week of December so students could attend-was dumped in the lap of a committee, and the officers and other senators did little to make sure that students would attend.
No students attended the forum.
Prior to the event and during the week of Nov. 10, I had suggested SGA hold a forum to address the effects this economy has on students’ ability to go to school and create art. SGA chose to act with little urgency.
Long-term investment in Columbia could decrease if the economy makes it near impossible for students to focus on creating good art and fewer proficient artists graduate to practice their craft successfully. In other words, working to help students survive the storm can only help Columbia preserve its pristine reputation.
Recently, SGA leaders debated over whether to spend $20,000 on 6,000 T-shirts for Manifest. Leaders seemed to think the T-shirts were crucial to the success of Manifest and said if SGA doesn’t purchase them, there will be no T-shirts because no other group has the money.
But it seems like the last thing Columbia students should want at an event meant to celebrate diversity is thousands of students all wearing the same thing.
With the economy in mind, I urge students to write to SGA and let their student government know they do not need T-shirts.
The Columbia Alumni Association & Network declared it “would not wait for Congress to act” and distributed 150 bookstore gift certificates of $100 each as part of a Student Stimulus Plan on Jan. 27-28. Why couldn’t SGA use the tens of thousands of dollars it has to put together similar student stimulus plans instead?
I urge you to be creative, imaginative and innovative and send your ideas for confronting the current economic situation to The Chronicle (chronicle@colum.edu) and SGA (sga@colum.edu).
The reality of our nation’s economic situation requires that students to take charge, take risks and take the lead. In the “winter of our discontent,” we must find moral clarity.
Many of us watched the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 and felt a peaceful, easy feeling we had not felt in a long time. I was on the National Mall when President Barack Obama was inaugurated. I shared joy with millions who braved the cold and felt a new era of possibility had begun.
That day, I thought about hope. Hope is having the courage to take action when doubt is warranted. Hope compels us to take a leap of faith and take a stand. Hope makes anything and everything possible. It is my hope that SGA and students come together and begin to define ways forward in this economic turmoil so that we can continue to author the culture of our times.
Posted at ColumbiaChronicle.com
