Editor,

I would like to respond to Rich Caperton’s opinions piece last week. He speaks of the "weakness" of Pomona College’s democracy, and I am hoping to address some of his concerns, specifically those that pertain to ASPC. Rich raised the point that Senate is spending the student fees without the permission of the entire student body. In fact, trying to accurately represent the student body and making decisions in students’ best interests is a part of every senator’s job description, whether explicitly stated or not. Our lives would become rather tedious if we were all making decisions about student fees. Why, you ask? Let us examine the situation in closer detail.

Every year, the Senate provides funding for numerous clubs, organizations, and teams on campus. Every single group that receives monetary assistance from ASPC makes somewhat independent decisions about how to spend their money. If every club asked every student’s opinion before every purchase, none of us would have time to go to class, because we would be too busy voting on budget decisions. Senators are supposed to act as representatives of the student body by voting on issues in a way that we think reflects your overall opinions. We cannot oversee every decision that is made.

In fact, the money that Rich spends in order to bring live music to campus comes from none other than…student fees! I have no problem with Rich making those decisions, and I do not doubt his intentions. I have not enjoyed every single band that I have seen on campus this year. However, I take comfort in the fact that the music appeals to some Pomona students, and that at least one group of people had a more excellent evening thanks to his efforts. We can only try to appeal to as many students as possible, because no single activity will appease everyone.

As far as Ski and Beach day goes, I do feel that it is a fairly exclusive activity that not everyone can afford. In fact, there are quite a few students who cannot shell out 40 bucks on a moment’s notice for one day’s worth of excitement. I completely understand this and actually suggested that we, as a Senate, try to come up with a fundraiser or other source of income to further subsidize tickets for students who cannot afford the full cost. I feel that we, as a Senate, have a responsibility to ensure that the events which we sponsor are accessible and affordable to as many students as possible.

On another note, Rich states that "unless you attend the weekly Senate meetings, you can’t even find out what decision was made." I beg to differ. The truth of the matter is that if any ole’ Sagehen opens up a copy of The Student Life and turns to the Senate Briefs, they have the play-by-play of what happens in our oh-so-enlightening meetings every week. Looky there, I’m even encouraging people to read the paper!

Finally, I want to quickly address the idea that I chose a Class Day speaker without the consent of the Senior Class. It is very true that I did not consult the entire class in making my decision. Nor did I administer a survey asking Seniors to vote on a Faculty member. The truth is that not every Class Day speaker has been chosen by vote. I thought that Casey Trupin would be an enlightening, inspiring speaker that would appeal to as many Seniors as possible. I did ask several people’s opinions before I called Casey, but I did not call an official meeting. I felt that the input that I received was sufficient to make a decision, and I stand by my decision. Pomona’s democracy may not be perfect, but there is plenty of room for student input. I encourage the students of Pomona College to make their voices heard. Senate needs to hear you, and believe it or not, we want to.

Sincerely,

Lauren Shawn ’01