(on former ASUO president Adam Walsh’s facebook wall)

Jerome Roberts wrote
at 9:48pm on May 23rd, 2007
Hey man I just want to let you know that Im glad you helped me get in the political system on campus. the ASUO and the ODE work together to propagate and perpetuate rumors and innuendos..which I LOVE. However im not all that upset because I could use the life experiance in mudslinging anyway.

Of course Roberts usn’t the only one to blame here… If he was appointed in April of last year, than it’s Walsh’s fault for appointing a justice who didn’t know the rules, it was the Senate’s fault for not questioning him well enough at confirmation, and most of all it is Matt Greene and the Con Court’s fault for not catching this. Is it harsh to ask Roberts to pay back his stipend immediately? Perhaps, but I’m not fooling myself into thinking it will make that much of a difference… the damage has been done here. I agree that this is one of the many prices we pay for having an entirely student run government… the question is, how will it get better if we don’t criticize?

Hmmm…anyone else smell that peculiar smell when they see him?

Also, why are you attacking our program’s preceived size? We have many students who work their ass off, especially our editor, who are trying to do the right thing for this campus. Some think buying wind power is the right cause to support - we think holding student government accountable it. And you criticize us for doing that?

Yea, we’re so insignificant with our thousands of visitors a month here, and our thousands of copies we print when we get around to it.

Imagine if no such institution or entity existed that informed students when mistakes are made. Then there would be no incentive for students not to make mistakes, because no one would find out (or maybe two weeks later, when the ODE got around to it).

The ASUO, as artificial as it may or may not be, is designed to be a training ground for those willing few who are eager to join the REAL political arena. You would PRETTY naive to think that mistakes in the real political realm are not critiqued harshly in public.

It kind of makes one think why said mistakes deserve to be public news. But then of course: people want to know when their elected representiatives act in a manner that is unfitting of their position. As a “champion for the people,” these representatives are supposed to be held to higher professional and ethical standards than your average student. People like Nate Gulley and Roberts did not “materialize”, nor were their names picked randomly from the student directory, upon which the OC staff said, “Alright, lets get this f*cker!” (At least I am assuming, as I have not visited the OC office). No, these students did something that was unbecoming of their position. It’s not enough that their actions are simply “reported,” as the student newspaper is fairly apt at doing (if they get to it within two weeks). This style of reporting is not the most effective method for informing students and stirring debate. A forum of public opinion, however, can stir debate and inform it’s readers better than a newspaper can.

Lastly, your remarks about not criticizing Roberts for his mistake as equivalent to cheerleading for more corruption: I find the words of the late Martin Luther King Jr. applicable in his speech on the Vietnam War, that “there comes a time when silence is betrayal.” Not holding Roberts accountable would imply that he did nothing wrong.

I think the point I was trying to make was, over the course of my postings I’ve come to realize that you believe NOT-tearing this kid a new one is equivalent to Cheerleading for more corruption. All your words are charged with negative connotations. Corruption implies fraud and dishonesty, when this error has been corroborated many times as an honest error, to which Roberts willingly agreed to pay back the money. But that wasnt enough, it had to be paid back in full IMMEDIATELY. That money wasn’t dispersed in one big check and I feel he shouldn’t have to come up with it in one big check. while $375 to the school is nothing to any student working to pay for school as it is, isn’t it a bit understandable that the money may be hard to come up with overnight. As far as his fundamental lack of knowledge, he hadn’t been on the court for one calender year yet, and there is no class that teaches the Green Tape notebook 101. There is no ASUO for dummies (I can only imagine the jokes that will ensue here) There isn’t even a true person that can be trusted to give guidance. The ASUO prides itself on the fact that it’s student run and perhaps there lies its biggest flaws. Each year dozens of inexperianced senators run for office and each year those that land on the PFC are handed the license to drive a $10 Million dollar school economy. They don’t want to mess up. No one, at least in this instance is trying to make mistakes. But if they do, then beware the rath of the commentator.

Perhaps it’s good this rag is so insignificant, there an innocent few and I would hate to see their name dragged through the mud by a paper who’s mascot is a beer Mug. That would be like getting made fun of by a beneficiary of the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

Um, Jamie, the only point that is being made is that it’s outrageous for the only undisputed authority on ASUO rules to be so careless/haphazard/ignorant/forgetfull/whatever you want to call it about the rules. I would love to do a story about the numerous ways in which ASUO money is funnelled off campus, but I would start by pointing my finger at OSPIRG and The Insurgent, because the amount of money they take off our campus makes Roberts’ $375 look like nothing. The reason that Roberts should be made an example of is not the financial impact of his “mistake,” but the fact that his position is one that demands absolute credibility and accuracy, because Con Court is the final authority on ASUO rules.

Oh, and Olly said everything he needed to with “We’re talking about a mechanism that is already basically as corrupt as it can be; it doesn’t need people actually cheerleading for more corruption.” It’s great to see students like you expressing interest in the ASUO process, but please examine your motivations here. What Roberts did was equivalent to a U.S. Supreme Court Justice becoming a citizen of another country, while keeping his job and collecting is check from Uncle Sam. If it was a mistake, it showed a fundamental lack of knowledge of the rules he was supposed to enforce and a lack of respect for the imprtance of his position. Why defend that?

I couldn’t say for sure, but I think the keynote speaker was some dude named Achille. He might have been in, like, a frat or something.

Jamie, read this:

Wrong is wrong, no matter what the issue is. Roberts was in the wrong. Axelrod was in the wrong. Sponko was in the wrong. Their heads should all be rolling right now, were it not for the fact that two out of the three are now off doing…well…whatever they’re doing.

Please excuse the edits, but still. We’re talking about a mechanism that is already basically as corrupt as it can be; it doesn’t need people actually cheerleading for more corruption.

“Isnt [sic] the school at fault for sending money willy-nilly to just anyone.”

Yes.

“Isnt [sic] it Liora Sponko’s job to make sure these things dont [sic] happen?”

This person might be distracted by the daily duties that must come from having the best name ever.

1) The “work” that Robert’s had done was questionable. As he admitted, Roberts had recused himself from all participation Winter term, yet he still sat on the court. So the question is: what the hell did he do during that time? Secondly, Matt Greene claimed that Roberts was the fourth deciding justice on any decision proposed before the court. Only three justices ae required to rule on any proposal, so Roberts may or may not have ruled on anything during his time on the court. None of the other justices can recall if he ever rules on anything (Theres some good ol’ fashioned ASUO record keeping for ya!), which begs the question: No, really…what the hell did he do during that time? Of course, some of the justices or senators might just be feigning ignorance over Robert’s supposed rulings to save their own asses from any other embaressment this term.

2) Roberts was not a student. The purpose of student government and the ASUO is to establish a government for students, by students. If the ASUO were to be allowed to have non-students hold office, then there really would be no need for the ASUO to exist; all of it’s functions could be carried out by older, more experienced personnel like the kind who work out of Johnson Hall. But then again, as a student, I feel it’s important to have a government whose concern is the student body. Roberts should not have been on the Con Court in the first place. As if thats not enough of a reason to punish him, he got paid for it to! While $375 might not break the bank for the University, he should pay that money back (and I agree…at once) so as to save any last shred of accountability the ASUO ever had.

Lastly, in this particular case (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), It’s not the University’s (The Administration’s) fault for distributing money on a whim; stipends are derived from the I-Fee, in which case this is student-distributed money we’re talking about; ie, the ASUO. It’s not Johnson Hall’s fault for dropping the ball on this one (or screwing the pooch…pick whichever phrase you like)…this is entirely an ASUO err.

Or maybe I wasn’t referencing Superman.

As in, y’know, “BOW DOWN TO ME JOR-EL” Zod.