Whereas turnout rate for SGA elections
are 10%, and any addition of choices for the student would increase
the tuition rate.
Whereas college tuition was $2,000 7
years ago, and has increased over 400% in less than a decade.
Whereas college tuition in Kentucky is
now $9,000 annually, $36,000 every four years, continually rising 6%
yearly, with no hope of anybody stopping it.
Whereas $10 million dollars shouldn't
be given to the University's Bureaucracy at the blink of an eye, for
reasons of whim.
Whereas $10 million dollars makes up a
meager 1.25% drop of the $800 million budget for the University's
Bureaucracy.
Whereas $10 million dollars would be
better spent by the SGA, who has a $600,000 budget, or the Black
Student Union, which has a $20,000 budget, or any other Student
Union, who would have the student's best interest in mind moreso than
the University's Bureacracy, since they literally are students.
Whereas virtually every member of the
Student Populace thinks tuition is too expensive, and SGA is supposed
to be the main advocate for the Student Populace, since we're
automatically conscripted into their program.
Whereas voting in favor a tuition hike
is acting against the best interest of the student populace, which
flies in direct contradiction of Section 4.11.1 of U of L's 1977
Constitution, which states that the “President, Executive Vice
President, Academic Vice President, or Services Vice President, may
be removed from office” … “for acting against the best
interests of the student populace” (emphasis added).
Whereas any member of the Student
Populace at U of L is allowed to petition the Development Board for
the initiation of impeachment proceedings.
Whereas U of L's annual “The Rally
for Higher Education” isn't just empty posturing.
Whereas, in realpolitik terms, there
is never any reason for a student representative to ever vote for
unnecessary tuition hikes since the 19 votes of the Trustees are
going to vote for it, as the last 2 decades has shown. So your one
vote doesn't matter anyways, and the Board of Trustees would
completely understand. The SGA President has everything to lose by
voting for a Tuition Hike, and nothing to gain, and inversely, an SGA
President has everything to gain by standing up to the University's
Bureaucracy, and nothing to lose. It logically makes zero sense an
SGA President to ever vote for a tuition hike. Ever.
Whereas the Administration sets the
example of behavior, and genuine student representatives should
respond to a hike in tuition the same way the Administration
responded emotionally to our rejection of their secret deal to
auction off the Student Activities Center for pennies on the dollar
for what it's worth.
Whereas President Ramsey is getting a
pay raise and a bonus, along with selected staff, during the time of
massive Frankfort budget cuts, that Governor Steve Beshear warned “is
going to hurt”.
Whereas CPE, Frankfort, and the Board
of Trustees all blame each other, which spreads the blame around, and
nobody is held accountable for the annual tuition robbery.
Whereas U of L's Board of Trustee's
Tuition Hikes are strategically chosen in June, during the Summer,
after the Seniors' graduate, and a new President has been elected, in
order to slip the Tuition Hike in as an annual event.
Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the
SGA President, and any additional student representatives added to
the Board of Trustees, is hereby restricted from voting in favor of
any proposed tuition hikes proposed by the University's Board of
Trustees.
