Professor Leonard,

With due respect, I oppose your position on the Association of Student Governments, yet find it intriguing that Carolina faculty are engaged in student government to the point that they do take notice on something like ASG, which has wasted students’ money for years without second thought. 

You’d be right in saying that ASG exists to represent all of its constituents — the only issue being that ASG refuses to do so. The October meeting here at UNC-Chapel Hill showed that members were more focused on parliamentary procedure than suspending rules that are rarely followed, unless convenient, to vote on a resolution regarding student voting. When given an opportunity to represent constituents, Robert’s Rules became the constituency of choice. 

You’d be right in questioning whether ASG wastes money — except that the October meeting cost $3,000 and the only thing members walked away with is a night’s sleep in the Sheraton and a Panera breakfast and Domino’s lunch. As a representative of students, it is horrifying that this is the type of representation that ASG calls “effective.” 

You’d be right in saying that ASG is worth its yearly dollar fee — except 91 percent of that dollar paid for “advocacy” is spent on stipends, catered meals and hotel rooms. You could look up these stipends if the ASG website — which we also pay for — were functioning. Students can’t even read up on ASG — yet they’re expected to believe that it is spending its money wisely?

I appreciate that you are concerned about the organization. Yet we’ve been told for years that ASG is “trying to reform itself,” and watched it vote against any reforms brought to the table. For two years, ASG has opposed our ideas. It owes its constituents answers. Accountability should also be a factor of shared governance.

To my knowledge, I’ve never met you at an ASG meeting — so I’d welcome you at our November meeting at Appalachian State University this weekend. No agenda has been published, resolutions were written after reading criticisms that the meeting would be uneventful — but the largest part of the docket is to attend a Mountaineer football game. 

If that’s the seat at the table we need, I’d prefer to stand.

Best,

Connor Brady

Speaker of the Student Congress at UNC-Chapel Hill.