In defense of Ashley Earnest
Ashley Earnest is entirely deserving of her Student Bodysecretary position and is completely capable of fulfilling itsobligations.
Ed Board’s suggestion that she should resign from herposition is not only preposterous but also invalid. She has beensorely misrepresented.
Ashley’s duties as Student Body secretary (even afterabdicating her role in the Code of Conduct Committee) are much morethan the Ed Board’s suggestion of “largelytrivial.”
As a former member of the Senate, I can attest to the fact thathours of work goes on behind the scenes.
As secretary, Ashley is part of the Executive Committee, spendstime with advisers, helps in legislation, recruits new members,helps lead the entire Senate, etc. Nothing about her electedposition is trivial.
Second, she resigned from her role from the Code of ConductCommittee after meeting with the Senate adviser.
If both the seasoned Senate adviser and Ashley herself feel thatshe can continue to carry out her duties, shouldn’t we trustthem?
Third, I feel it is a grievous error to simply throw away a goodleader because of a few temporary personal problems. When a personencounters a trial, true character is shown.
Through her struggles, Ashley’s character has revealed aperseverance and unwavering commitment few possess. The quality ofher leadership has only been enhanced. I argue she is a betterleader now than she was before.
Being a friend of Ashley’s, I continually see her passionfor Student Senate, and also her energy and pride for SMU.
To ask her to resign is to actually weaken the Student Senateand the student body.
Furthermore, if Student Senate cannot reasonably handle theshift in duties, it is not as strong an institution as we hope itis.
I close with some wise words from Theodore Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who pointsout how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds couldhave done them better. The credit belongs to the man who isactually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat andblood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again andagain; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings;but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the greatenthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthycause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of highachievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he failswhile daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with thosecold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
If you see Ashley on campus, please thank her for her hard workand willingness to lead.
Praise her for persevering though all her trials and support herin her decision to finish her position as Student Bodysecretary.
