SA members misguided in attempt to be transparent

To become more transparent, Student Association’s leaders plan to create a new website. But making a third website will not improve the organization’s transparency.

Transparency is a word that gets thrown around often in politics. Without anything to back it up, transparency is an empty word. Last November, then-Comptroller Jeff Rickert called the idea of transparency a stale concept.

To make transparency relevant, members must focus on information, communication and clear goals.

The proposed website seems like it will inform students. Yet nonmembers will not be allowed to comment, inhibiting discussions by students online about SA initiatives. SA prides itself as the defenders of the students, but this plan would close an avenue to hear students’ opinions.

The website will only be successful if SA members actually use it. There is already a general SA website and a specific website to break down the student activity fee. This would be the third website. If SA is trying to be more transparent, it should combine the three websites into something central, so students and members alike can have easy access to as much information as possible.

SA initiatives are sometimes left behind because of a lack of communication or unclear goals. One of the strongest examples is the smoke-free campus initiative. The initiative made progress for about half a semester, but has not been relevant in quite some time.

To keep initiatives timely and relevant in students’ minds, SA members must set clear goals. It is not enough to say members are working hard on an issue over and over again. Set a date. Publicize the date. That will encourage SA members to stick to the goal and make real progress.