Liason First

When TU Nation assumes office next year, it should act as a strong student voice.

On April 7, Temple Student Government announced the winner of the 2011 election. TU Nation, the winning ticket, is comprised of current Senate President Colin Saltry as student body president-elect, Elliot Griffin as vice president-elect of external affairs and Ugochukwo Obilo as vice president-elect of services.

While the ticket may be spending the week celebrating, TU Nation should remember to be accountable to its campaign promises and be advocates for Temple students while the university faces budget cuts.

Among the promises in TU Nation’s platform were giving away SEPTA tokens on weekends and adding GPS tracking to Temple-run shuttles. While these ideas are commendable, with students fearing where the burden will lay with Temple losing 52 percent of its commonwealth appropriations, TU Nation should focus on its role as a student-government liaison.

During the final executive ticket debate, Saltry promised that during the upcoming budget process, he would continue to advocate for students and would make students his priority. The Temple News encourages TU Nation to stand by this promise and not waste any time in fulfilling its role as an advocate.

While TSG’s soon-to-be executive officers have a responsibility to be a voice for students, students also have a responsibility when it comes to involvement in their campus government.

As Cary Carr reports in “TU Nationl clinches victory, prepares for fall semester,” Page 1, in addition to voting for the executive ticket, students voted for both a new constitution, which will eliminate the previous three branches and create a general assembly. Students also voted on recycling referenda, which calls for a recycling contract where the university would recycle plastics Nos. 1 to 7.

Griffin said the restructuring of TSG was aimed at making it easier for students to be involved in the organization by offering more positions and a more “collaborative experience.”

While the university is facing a challenging financial situation, TSG has a responsibility to be a voice for the students and a proponent of Temple. With a new face for TSG, both in leadership and structure, now is the time for students to get involved.