TO THE EDiatxt: The SGA Farce: The recent editorial in the NIT- TAY CUB brought to the surface, whe ther the editor realized it or not, the lack of true student representation by the SGA. If the SGA were truly representa tive of the student body, it wouldn't be necessary for the editor to collect (or attempt to collect) information for the CUB in Culbertson lounge. In stead she could go directly to the -SGA members, and through them, find the o pinions of the students. I realize, of course, the SGA is going to retaliate to this statement by saying that they can't represent the students if the students don't come to 'them with their problems. You've heard it before: "They don't tell us any of their complaints!" But don't forget, when elected, SGA representa— tives were chosen with the understan &lLl; that they would represnet the stu dents. That was to be their job: to find the problems of the students and attempt to do something abut them. Yet row- many students have been approached y and SGA member with questions con cerning student affairs? Very few, I'd venture to guess. Thus far, the only obvious method i used by the MA to obtain student opin tion was the questionnaire distributed tstt c registration. Admittedly, it was a worthwhile step in the right direction, but if this is to be the sole method tlf obtaining student opinion, why are epresentatives necessary? It appears to me and many of ray t e brillian colleagues" that membership lin SGA is not prompted by a desire to i. epresent the student body . , but in stead by a desire to place oneself on higher rung of the social ladder. Membership in the SGA is considered (at least by SGA members) to be a sta tus symbol. Per baps the best evidence of this was the notice, recently posted on the bulletin board in the 0. B. Buil ding requesting five persons t fill va cant positions in the SGA. In part, this notice read: "This is your big chance to be where the action is 2 and to help make the decisions instead of just complaining ablut them." In the first place, if the SGA is "where the action is" Why are they making an appeal for members? It seems as though they ought to be figh ting them off. Secondly, did the members ever stop to investigate the basis of these com plaints that they are so obviously aware of? Immediately they pin the fault on the students ehn it seems more logical that the fault would be with the decisions themselves. Nay point is this: if the members and representatives of the SGA could find it even remotely possible to lower them selves to the level of thestudents that they supposedly represent, perhaps they could obtain some of that respect that they so badly need. And I'm sure that they would find student cooperation ac companying that respect. I realize that by writing this letter I am leaving myself wide opent to criti cism, but after observing for four terms the obvious failure of the SGA and noting the lack of action on their part, I deci ded that criticism (yes, even from and "or dinary student")would be the best method of prompting the necessary action. Incidentally, I don't claim to be a "journalistic expert" nor do I think I ever could be. Bob Hilton
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers