Further Developments

Now apparently, the tactic is to try to dissolve Student Assembly entirely. If Adam and his non-SA friends can't get what they want out of SA, why not just get rid of it? This is ridiculous.

I reiterate that my point is not to prevent anyone from trying to make changes in SA, but to ask that those attempts at change be made because of a genuine desire to help the school. I still feel that this is not Adam's motivation and it is not the motivation of many of the people behind him. I am not denying the existence of people who genuinely do want to help the school nor the possibility that some of these people may disagree with Tim. However, I would suggest that if those people are interested in doing something about improving SA or the school, they take their own leadership and do something about it separately from Adam and his efforts and do so not in little covert groups of personal enmity and discontent but in open groups that allow the idea that no one person—Tim, Adam, me, or anyone else—speaks for everyone.

Also, note that Adam won't commit to calling my post false in print, but will in a supposedly "private" blitz.

>Date: 15 Jan 2007 16:48:25 -0500
>From: Adam L. S*peen
>Subject: Update
>To: (Recipient list suppressed)

To everyone regarding Student Assembly:

First, our attendance last week was phenomenal - I commend everyone's dedication and passion for the cause. Last week Jacqueline Loeb announced that to gain voting rights you had to attend three consecutive SA meetings and attend an additional committee meeting...this is false. She will announce tomorrow night the new policy - attend three meetings then on the third meeting you're a voting member. Simple as that.

Second, tomorrow night's meeting is at 7 PM in Carson L01 - like last week, be there, sign in, and try to stick around as long as you can.

Third, yesterday Andrew Seal wrote an inaccurate and personally insulting post on his webblog about our plan. If you read the post, you'll realize that he and Tim (I have been told that the two are in cahoots) are trying to spin the issue as a Tim vs. Me vendetta, vs. the Review/Chi Gam/Conservatives. Just a heads up, The Dartmouth is reporting on the post in tomorrow's paper.

This is unfortunate, but don't be deterred by Seal, Tim, or anyone else. We all know that the vast majority of students don't support Tim's leadership and don't think that Tim is acting properly in his role as SA President. Tim is worried, and he's resorting to personal attacks against me, my brothers in chi gam, and my friends in order to stigmatize what we're doing. Don't let him be successful.

On that note, I wanted to mention that a bunch of us have decided to change the overall plan of action. While we would all love to impeach Tim, I think that that action alone would not accomplish what it is we're trying to do more fundamentally. SA as an organization is flawed - it promotes the illusion of student empowerment while in reality it is toothless and weak. My experience on the COS Task Force (which despite passing overwhelmingly by SA, Tim worked behind the scenes to have it quashed) has taught me that there are limits to the reach that students can have in effecting real change, and that those limits are far too restrictive. Thus, instead of impeaching Tim, the plan now is to call a vote to dissolve the Student Assembly in general. Over the next week I along with several others will draft a resolution outline how we plan to do this and what body will take over in the aftermath. We're hopeful that a newer body, one that combines the functions of the UFC, COS, Programming Board, and COSO, will serve the interests of the school and the student body more so than simply getting rid of Tim.

Sorry for the long blitz - if you have any questions or concerns please let me know. Again, I am delighted that so many of you are interested in this very important mission. See you all tomorrow night at 7 PM.

Adam