TO THE EDITOR:
The editorial regarding the student body vice president’s stipend is right in saying the purpose of those funds is to promote accessibility.
However, the argument that the money can only promote accessibility to student government goes against the fundamental reasons for which Student Congress stands: to follow the Student Code and to do so in a fair and just manner.
Firstly, the Student Code specifies that if a student organization wishes to pay its officers, their duties must extend over the summer. This is currently not the case for the vice president, creating an unfair exception to this rule.
Putting this aside, however, the DTH editorial board contends that the time commitment required of the vice president precludes him or her from holding a part-time job.
Again, this is simply untrue.
Last year’s vice president worked as a resident adviser throughout his term, finding a workable balance. Furthermore, the $2,400 the student body vice president does receive falls short of the pay for most part-time jobs. The truth is that the vice president’s stipend will not be the deciding factor for those students who require financial aid.
There are numerous leaders on our campus, both in and outside of student government, who devote more hours to their University-sponsored organizations than a part-time job would require and happily do their service with no pay.
The executive branch argues that the stipends are often used for on-campus initiatives. However, why is the appointed — not elected — position of vice president unilaterally making such choices?
