Andy,
Why shouldn’t WSA reps advocate for a variety of issues? In your wespeak, you complain that you heard a candidate push for shuttle services to bars. You made it seem like this is ALL the candidate pushed for, which can’t be true. What else did this candidate stand for? And, if there are a variety of other planks in his/her platform, what’s so bad about one of them being shuttles to bars?
Keep in mind – a lot of kids at Wesleyan have cars. And a lot of them drive to the bars. And a lot of them drive home from the bars drunk. Particularly junior and senior year, the bar scene is big, with several hundred students a week going back and forth. It’s a legitimate concern that some of these students are driving back and forth drunk, putting themselves and others in danger. If anything, it’s then responsible of a WSA rep to recognize what’s happening, and to push the school to implement a policy that will take the current situation, and make it safer.
Shuttles = no driving to bars = less drunk driving = safer Wesleyan students, which is a very good thing.
And, as for your specific argumentation – putting shuttles in place isn’t “enabling” and “encouraging” consumption of alcohol – it’s recognizing an unsafe situation and making it better. (And arguments about “enabling” and “encouraging,” aren’t they the same arguments made about not allowing Gay-Straight Alliances in high schools, and not giving out condoms to sexually active teens? We can’t do these things. “It’s negative behavior, talking about the gays and giving out the contraceptives! We can’t enable and encourage! So we wont make things safer, we’ll just turn our backs on the whole situation.”)
Equally, you said it’s absurd to take student activity fees and funnel them into something only a quarter of the student body benefits from. How many kids at Wesleyan are gay? Or black, latino, asian? You get my point … it’s way less than a quarter of students. Would you be making the same complaint if a WSA rep. wanted to funnel funds towards one of those groups, with a representation of “less” than a quarter of students? I don’t think you would be. A quarter of Wesleyan students potentially doing something unsafe is a LOT of Wesleyan students potentially doing something unsafe. (It’s always a terrible argument to say “let’s develop services that benefit ALL, not just a small portion.” That’s the type of argumentation that’s marginalized folks, particularly LGBT folks, for years and years!)
So, to sum up, I don’t think this WSA rep should be chastised. I think they should be commended. Thanks for recognizing a way to help make students safer, and working to implement it.
Leave a Reply