Assembled in the Great Hall of the People (Campus Club), the USG held their weekly meeting Sunday night. The meeting began with routine business, including a discussion of the emergency response survey, approval of academic committee appointments, and a review of the new elections system. Relatively little time was spent on the hot-button issue of Gender-Neutral Housing. Undergraduate Life Committee Chair Arthur Levy reviewed the events of last week, when the residential college masters endorsed a plan to allow students of different genders to draw into suites in Spelman starting next year. He claimed that the decision has been received favorable by Princeton students, saying that most people are “either excited or apathetic” based on the comments posted on the Daily Princetonian website. He mentioned that there were rumors of a piece to be published in the next edition of The Tory attacking this proposal. Unaddressed were the serious questions raised by opponents of GNH.
The remainder of the meeting focused on event funding for student groups. In light of recent budget cuts, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students is planning to crack down on campus organizations that retain surplus cash granted for specific events. Dean Dunne, who was present at the meeting, declared that, while he doesn’t believe there have been any attempts to intentionally scam the administration, estimating costs can often be very difficult. A new auditing system will make tracking the accounts of student groups more efficient. It struck me, however, that while this seems like a noble endeavor, it is unlikely to save a significant amount of money, as it will merely encourage organizations to spend all of the money that they receive from ODUS. It could even be detrimental to many groups, especially ones that lack large endowments and don’t have a means of raising revenue on their own.
The USG’s efforts to restrict outlays on student groups seemed odd in light of their decision, at the end of the meeting, to approve the creation of six new groups. These include ethnic associations for Indonesian and Armenian students, a health care club, a hypnosis club, a women’s book group, and a PBS appreciation club. There was a brief debate about these applications, some of which were criticized as niche groups that had no valid need for ODUS funding. Objections were particularly raised with regards to the PBS club. In the end, all of the groups were approved, but with a few dissenting voices, which, as several members noted, was a rare if not unprecedented event in the history of the USG.
All in all, I found my first close-up look at the USG to be illuminating, although somewhat discouraging. It struck me that the institution is, in many ways, out of touch with the interests and attitudes of ordinary students, and is instead driven by its own personal agenda. This should not be surprising; after all, President Connor Diemand-Yauman ran unopposed for his position last fall, and there was no contest for the U-Council seats in the spring. I would highly recommend that anyone and everyone who is disillusioned with the USG become more actively involved– attend meetings, communicate with your representatives, apply for committee memberships, run for office. Remember, in the words of that overused Gandhi quote, “you must be the chance you wish to see in the world.”
Sam Norton is a junior from Falmouth, Maine. He is majoring in politics.