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Re: “CSU Board of Governors responds to impeachment of student body president” Dec. 12 news article.
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As a sitting member of ASCSU, I was deeply saddened by the letter the CSU Board of Directors addressed to my colleagues this week. It is disheartening when those who represent our university do not stand by those who were also elected to represent our university. We are honored to hold positions that allow us to be voices for our community. Our roles allow us to ensure Colorado State University is an ethical and respectful university, and in doing so, there are systems in place to ensure this remains true.
On Nov. 15, 2017, procedures as written in the ASCSU Constitution were followed, resulting in the impeachment of Josh Silva. It was unfortunate that the board insinuated that members of ASCSU made an important decision with little to no consideration of the consequences. Senators, advisors, and students had spent countless hours investigating and researching to ensure the process was fair and just.
It is far easier to stand aside and allow those who hold power to stay in power, even when their actions are questionable. It is far easier to stand aside and not question authority. Instead, members of ASCSU did not stand aside. They voiced their concerns even when they were in the minority. This is what I would expect the Board of Governors to encourage of all students attending CSU: to stand up and speak against injustice when one sees it. The board should expect nothing less than honesty and ethical actions from the students representing Colorado State University. And, when necessary actions were taken, the board instead decided to minimize and negate the actions of brave students who had the strength to come forward.
I similarly found myself disappointed with the board’s aversion to changes. To say we should not enable necessary change for the sake of face value is dishonorable. We should not fear to make changes because they will have “disrupted…representation at the governing board level.” It is not the job of ASCSU to protect CSU’s face value. It is our job to represent the students.
I stand by the principles the Board expressed, such as unity, growth, and learning from one another. These are qualities we should all work towards achieving. However, ASCSU has voted and no letter will change the facts they voted upon.
I hope the Board will use this opportunity to reflect on its motivations for the letter. While I would hope the intention was to create unity, I fear the letter was used as an opportunity to highlight decisions the Board does not agree with for concern of appearing less unified.
To the members of the Board of Governors: I would appreciate respect from my mentors, rather than condescending letters of distaste for the difficult decision ASCSU had to make.
Thank you,
Celine Wolff
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Associate Justice, Associated Students of Colorado State University
Senior, Business Administration student
