DEN‘s ‘poll’ editorial inaccurate

“According to the student government mission statement, ‘Student Government members shall maintain a progressive state of mind in order to respect the student body in regards to their positions. Student Government will protect the rights and interests of the students while also enhancing the quality of EIU experience through the power that is vested in them by Eastern Illinois University.'”

The previous paragraph is the only honest statement that was made in The Daily Eastern News‘ Oct. 10 editorial titled, “Student Senate uses bad poll to justify position.” I’d first like to make it clear that the survey was not intended to reach every single student at Eastern. It was meant to be a sample, to give senators an idea of how some students felt about implementing the outdoor digital displays. It also should be known that the survey in question was made available to numerous registered student organizations, not only distributed through Facebook.

In addition, feedback regarding the digital displays did not only rely on the electronic survey. It failed to be reported in the Oct. 6 student government article that many senators expressed at our meeting that their feedback was received verbally and not only from their friends, but also from classmates and random students on campus.

It is upsetting to see that some students are unaware of what is happening on this campus. However, the digital displays and the Senate’s views on their implementation have not been kept secret. There have been multiple presentations at our meetings as well as articles published in the DEN regarding the resolution.

To the student disappointed that an open forum was not held in regards to this specific resolution, I invite you to our Wednesday night meetings, for the door is always open. There are also senators readily available on a daily basis to address concerns in the Student Activities Center located in the Union. It is important for everyone to understand that our constituency relationship strictly works both ways. We will come to you, but you also must take the time to meet us half way.

We were elected to represent the students as best we can and that means taking into consideration the facts given to us through surveys. It was clear through the outcome that the majority of students who took the time to take our survey were in favor of this resolution, hence the reason why it was passed.

This is me telling the truth, and I am not afraid.

Jenna L. Mitchell

Student Senator, Student Outreach Chair

Stop exalting the rich

We hear over and over that the wealthy are the “job creators,” that only their investments move our economy forward. This is self-serving nonsense. Anyone who spends money on a good or service, whether by investing to produce it or spending to purchase it, stimulates the economy. The problem is that the vast majority of people do not have the resources to do the things that would matter for improving their lives and the quality of life in our communities, such as maintaining their health, eating better, enjoying exercise and leisure, improving the energy efficiency of their homes, or educating themselves and their children.

Meanwhile, the exalted wealthy are mostly doing a lousy job of deciding how to invest in our future: despoiling our environment, manufacturing short-lived disposable junk, using their influence to obtain special government deals and policies that allow them to act as parasites at tax-payer expense, and speculating in financial markets where their clout and superior information let them suck money from other people’s pockets into their own without producing a thing.

Meanwhile, our schools crumble and we stagger along on the most antiquated and inefficient transportation system in the developed world. There are public goods vital to our well-being that by their nature do not lend themselves to provision for private profit. These include health care, environmental quality, transportation, and education. It is time to stop worshiping the false god of private wealth and start making democratic decisions about how to invest in our future.

Charles Delman

Professor of Mathematics