Good morning Channels Board!
There are a few concerns I have with the article “Associated Student Government appoint eight new commissioners” by Michael Juliano. The main one comes back to the conversation I had with Patricia, in regards to comments made by Michael surrounding the “Colloquium Controversy.” The Channels is a great medium to share information with students; turning it into TMZ with bias, which seemed to be the suggestion, is a disservice to our students. In this article, the bias is subtle at first. There were no “protests” at the meeting; there was public comment. We (unanimously) opened it up to the public so we could hear their input. Further, it is false to say that every single person was for the appointment; there were two other individuals who were on the fence; Andres and Michelle. After much consideration, there were two officers who voted no. The Channels did not catch up with either of us to ask for our input; instead, Matt (who has been quoted very often when it comes to these “controversies”) got the final say not only at the meeting, but afterwards as well.
It would have been great for our students to hear the perspective of the individuals who voted no. Instead, we have an “ego” comment that seemed to take higher priority. In my view, the school newspaper should serve as a medium of information exchange, quoting all people. It should not be a controversy machine, with bias in the voice of the writer.
Thank you,
David Panbehchi
Student Trustee, Associated Student Government
