Student issues misconstrued

After Tuesday’s Daily Campus editorial [“Student Senate: Student money misappropriated”] the Senate has decided to give the DC and the SMU students perspective on the decision to send the student body officers-elect to the LeaderShape Institute.

The Student Senate recognizes that DC’s editorial board means well. However, once again, it has failed to present its readers with a legitimate criticism of the SMU Student Senate. If you recall, last semester after the programs Senate funded and provided in response to Sept. 11, the dedicated steps Senate took toward public safety on campus and the strong stance Senate took on adopting a non-discriminatory clause for the Student Code of Conduct … DC graciously rewarded the Student Senate with what grade? A measly D+.

Under the leadership of Student Body President Jodi Warmbrod and other commendable senators and officers, the 2001-2002 Student Senate has done nothing but serve the students of SMU. And the March 26 decision to fund $3,450 to send the student body officers to LeaderShape Institute is one more way for Senate to impact the students of SMU. In order for the students to understand why it is important for the officers to attend this conference, they must first know the logic behind the decision.

First, LeaderShape is a premiere conference supported by some of the top universities and corporations in the United States. The University of Texas at Austin, Cornell, Penn State and MIT are on the long and distinguished list of universities which choose to send their student leaders yearly. Also, the Kellogg Corporation has dubbed this conference an “exemplary program.” Obviously, LeaderShape is not a flippant excuse for student body officers to take a road trip together. Instead, it is a six-day intensive program that develops and fosters valuable leadership skills.

Clearly there are other leadership conferences out there. The DC mentioned the Crain Leadership Conference. Oddly enough, all of the current and the newly elected student body officers attended this conference. Vice President-elect Britt Moen even served on the Crain Leadership Conference planning committee. Coincidence? Probably not.

LeaderShape is the student body officers’ opportunity to get some of the best leadership training available.

Second, the LeaderShape conference offers our officers the opportunity to build a network among student leaders across the nation. The relationships and ideas that the officers bring back will benefit the entire SMU community. Keep in mind the initiative to improve the Dedman Center of Lifetime Sports, originated from Warmbrod’s attendance at a leadership conference at Loyola University in New Orleans last fall. Had Warmbrod and Michael Waters never stepped foot in Loyola’s sports facility, students might not have realized how obsolete the Dedman Center is.

Finally, Senate’s decision to send the student body officers is not self-serving. There are only three individuals on the entire SMU campus who are directly elected by every student on campus. Senate purposely chose to send these three student body officers to the LeaderShape Institute. The decisions and actions of these officers have a wide spread influence on this campus. On a daily basis they affect virtually every student at SMU. The skills they will obtain this summer from the LeaderShape Institute will undoubtedly impact the entire student body.

There are many leadership conferences to choose from. The reason LeaderShape was chosen as the conference to send our officers to is simple: It is one of the best leadership experiences available to college students and it could potentially be hosted by SMU in the near future.

But who would see the value in sending SMU’s most notable student leaders to a premiere conference where they can learn better ways to impact the SMU student body? Apparently not The Daily Campus editorial board.

Student issues misconstrued