Staff Editorial: Agenda for the new UA

Last night, the Undergraduate Assembly elected College junior Seth Schreiberg as its chairman for the coming year.

He inherits a body with substantial internal and external problems. He inherits a UA that is not respected by its constituents and that is perceived as an organization that does nothing of substance. He inherits an organization that even many members say is too "deliberative" to actually do anything. He inherits an assembly that, in turning inward this year, seemed to forget why it exists in the first place.

Fortunately, Schreiberg seems to understand that while internal reform is absolutely necessary, the UA cannot ignore its primary purpose -- to serve the student body. And if Schreiberg is to be succesful, he must approach both of these with vigor.

During the last few years, it was sometimes easy to think that the UA was simply an arm of College Hall. Both Dana Hork and Michael Bassik were rightly criticized for caving in to administrative pressure on issues of great importance to the student body.

But undergraduates did not elect the UA to be the administration's friend. They elected it to be the students' advocate. When the UA can accomplish student goals by working hand-in-hand with the University, it should do so. It cannot, however, be afraid to take a strong stand against administrative wishes if the situation calls for it.

Schreiberg's UA must do everything it can to address issues of importance to the students. Lights on Locust Walk are pretty and recycling bins are nice. They are also not of great importance to most students.

The UA must tackle the issues students care about -- dining, race relations, tuition and financial aid. And it must remember that it is not its job to make the students care about what the UA is doing, but to do things that the students care about.

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