The Sept. 18 article, "DSG plans to evaluate spending" suggests that Duke Student Government's response to the failed student activities fee referendum will involve a lot of whining. Also, perhaps some temper tantrums. Vice President for Athletics and Campus Services Mike Lefevre's quote summarizes the sentiment nicely: "I don't know what people expected. We didn't get the money, we weren't lying, we really meant we needed the money."
Now, since we didn't blindly "give them" the money, they plan to punish us. Because although they advertised the jump in the student activities fee as necessary (1) to increase funding for student groups and (2) to bring new programs to campus, its failure to pass actually means DSG will cut existing programs-starting with the Readership Program, arguably among DSG's most popular and visible initiatives.
Duke kiddies, take note: what any government promiseth, it shall hold over thy head until thou has emptied thy pockets in (patriotic) support. Thus, it's always better to buy your own damn paper. And as for you, DSG: Please note that your attitude and line of reasoning are exactly why I voted against the referendum. Therefore, I would snarkily suggest that your "evaluation" go beyond number-crunching.
Abby Alger
Trinity '09
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