The 1st 10 Point Student Power Manifesto for U of L Tomorrow (2012)

“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders…and millions have been killed because of this obedience…Our problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”

                                                                                                                                                                  ~Howard Zinn

1. Force the hiring of SGA's Advancement Officer. Do not allow The Administration to stop SGA from expanding their Budgetary Capital Base. The Advancement Officer position...
   ...pays for itself, and then some. We've gone too far to turn back now.
   

2. Pass a Law, an Act, not a Resolution, forcing the President of SGA to never vote for an increase in tuition, ever. The other 19 Board of Trustees have the votes, and the corporate bloodthirst, to steal as much of the student's money as possible, and since there is never any reason for a President to ever vote in favor of a Tuition Increase, a Law should be passed that mandates that every President from here on out has to vote AGAINST a tuition increase.
   
   
3. The Newly Revised 1977 Constitution should be posted on SGA's website, along with all of their minutes, for complete transparency, to show all of the people in all of the world that U of L's SGA has no secrets, and to offer all of the people in all of the world the opportunity to see the accomplishments of U of L's SGA.
   
   
4. A Bureau of Student Complaints is needed. There should be a Central Hub for Student Email Complaints, and a 24 Hour Help Line. SGA should also have an open door policy during normal business hours, Monday through Friday.
   
   
5. A Student Power Constitutional Convention Needs To Be Called Up. As it currently stands, U of L's Revised 1977 Constitution has no Bill of Rights. Zero. Nada. Nothing. No Rights For You! Only the Right to Petition is guaranteed. U of L's Student Constitution Needs a Bill of Rights, and a Supremacy Clause, in order to reassert our Generation's rights (Generation 9/11). There needs to be more democracy at U of L. More democratic tools, such as Referendums, Initiatives, and Recall. There should be an Open Forum to all of the Members of SGA, including the 20,000 students who are not officers, on the Agenda, to allow any and all, a chance to address their Student Representatives. There should be Quotas for Woman and Non-White students. A Law, an Act, not a Resolution, should be passed mandating voting on SGA, or be fined $100, to go into the General Fund. The Student Senate needs to be more Parliamentary, with more discussion, and Consensus making decisions.
   
   
6. An “Office of Student Retention” for the University needs to be created, in order to catch those struggling Freshman who are barely making it. 60% of those freshman who try U of L, flunk out for whatever reason, and having an Office of Student Retention to address the Retention Rate is just plain Thomas Paine Common Sense.
   
   
7. Free College/Reduction of Tuition/Work on a “Lower My Tuition” Campaign, in order to restrain the Overzealous, Corporate, Statist Board of Trustees from stealing any more of our cash through Annual Tuition Increases
   
   
8. We need Democracy in the Classrooms. Students should have the right to control their education, and educated folks should be knowledgeable on how to operate within a democratic framework.
   
   
9. Guarantee that U of L's "student" newspaper, "The Cardinal" is of, by, and for the Students attending U of L, regardless of race, color, gender, sexual/affection orientation, or physical, mental, or emotional disability, except as provided by Federal Law. Since the Establishment defendin' Cardinal has been actively Censoring SGA, a Law, an Act, not a Resolution, needs to be passed in order to mandate that the Accomplishments of all SGA meeting are printed in the paper. There is a perception problem between the General Student Body and SGA because the main source of information at U of L, The Cardinal, doesn't print the accomplishments of the Student Body.
   
   
10. There needs to be Professor Accountability. The Course Evaluation Forms need to be sent out AFTER the class is over. Before the class is over, it's hard to gauge whether or not the class was a worthwhile experience. Plus it keeps a check on the Professors until the Last Day of Class.