By Michael Walsh
The Student Government Association was met with a tough task last week when its student-elected president decided to resign two meetings into his second semester as SGA president.
Last week I rationalized Matt Vekakis’ decision to step down. This week I applaud the SGA for its quick reaction to handling not just one, but two resignations of leaders.
Last Wednesday SGA elected Jamie Canny as its interim president. Narrowly defeating the prepared and qualified Eric Bergenn, Canny’s victory was a shocker – even to herself. Canny wasn’t prepared to run, but once she realized her peers respected and valued her role on the senate, she warmed to the idea and accepted her nomination. She even admitted to giving her nomination speech on the fly.
SGA’s decision was a good one. Canny is the chair of the scholarship committee, a detailed and dense program that gives CCSU students the opportunity to receive extra dollars to put towards their education. Canny was even able to increase the funds of the program this year along with the creation of brand new scholarships opening the program to more students than before.
Canny is an interim president in the truest sense of the word. She doesn’t plan to run for either president or vice president later this spring and told me that she likely won’t even be a member of SGA next semester because of scheduling and time conflicts with the teaching program she will be entering.
This is why her unlikely arrival in the seat of SGA president makes perfect sense. Canny will allow SGA to finish out an adversity-filled year with a leader who has no political lean and no need to work for personal intentions. Canny won’t be using her couple of months at the helm as a tryout for next fall. Spring elections will run a lot smoother and with a clean slate thanks to this.
Unfortunately, blemishes weren’t unseen last week. My column last week received comments – a sort of rarity for The Recorder. Online comments are a sticky subject in newsrooms across the profession. Previously, The Recorder allowed what were nearly considered to be anonymous comments on its website. One particular comment anonymously calling out a former SGA senator forced us to change our standards. Now, users must register for WordPress or Intense Debate. While one can certainly register under a false name, a legitimate e-mail is required and it at least makes the person think before deciding to write a potentially damaging and faceless comment on our website.
The insider details of the comment make it obvious that it likely came from another senator or someone close to the situation. I must explain how frustrating it is to have to deal with such a thing. As someone who puts his name on every positive and negative thing he writes, I hate to see a person resort to making claims behind a wall of anonymity. There’s a very strange parallel worth looking at here.
The public, rightfully so, demands that journalists have well-sourced stories. At the same time, the public typically has no problem leaving their name out of a potentially hateful, privacy-breaking or libelous comment on that same news organization’s website that has little to no wiggle room when it comes to moderating some of these comments. Should the news industry not desperately need the direct involvement of its consumers, I wouldn’t be against seeing these kind of nameless comments better monitored. No more criticizing or judging the most recently arrested person without leaving your name for all to see.
Despite this one negative, SGA handled its second special election in three weeks well. The process was quick, fluid and tactful. Credit should be given to the entire senate, as well as Interim Vice President Elizabeth Braun. In only her second full meeting as interim vice president, Braun began the meeting alone at the executive table until Treasurer Asia Smith arrived. Thrown into the political fire, Braun ran through the official process well and was not the least bit reluctant in making room for Canny, creating a formidable tandem to ride out the rest of the spring semester.