Keeping Visibility

Temple Student Government should reflect on its past to plan ahead.

Temple Student Government held its first Senate meeting yesterday [see Page 2 for coverage] and will have its first State of Campus address Monday, Sept. 27.

Before the organization picks up momentum, The Temple News encourages TSG to reflect on the ups and downs of last year before moving ahead.

Last year, TSG put its best foot forward in the face of hate speech. When then-Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders attended Main Campus Oct. 20, 2009 to discuss his views on Islam, the campus environment became tense. The event triggered a series of attempts to bring other controversial speakers to campus, such as the attempted visit of Israeli politician Effi Eitam, who called Palestinian citizens of Israel a “cancer.”

TSG brought together the student organizations affected by the tension for a summit at the Diamond Club to open up the dialogue.

Along with Students for Environmental Action, TSG spent a year campaigning for the green fee, the $5-per-semester initiative that would go toward energy-saving projects. Although the University Fees Committee ultimately denied it, this campaign showed TSG lending its voice for a student-cause.

The only instance where TSG officials put themselves before their fellow students occurred during the Westboro Baptist Church counter-protest, when only a handful of TSG members came out to support their GLBT peers.

The Temple News is confident in the abilities of TSG President Natalie Ramos-Castillo, her cabinet, Senate President Colin Saltry and all other TSG parties, and now is the time for those elected to act and reassure the student body it chose the right candidates for the job.

For TSG to continue to shine, it needs to continue an active role similar to the ones it maintained during the Wilders’ controversy and the green fee debate.

Only then can TSG be a visible force and helping hand to the campus community.