Review calls for increased transparency

The Review Editorial Board

In this day and age of fake news and conflicting claims, staying informed is not only patriotic  but also critical to navigating our fast-paced society.

Reading the news, monitoring the government, holding our leaders accountable and questioning authority are ways to learn and grow as academics and as citizens. This starts right here at Linfield, as the practices we begin now will become our natural tendencies later.

Our student government ASLC is appointed to lead the student body and make decisions on our behalf. The members of ASLC have been given a unique position that allows them to communicate the needs and wants of students to faculty and administration.

We need to hold ASLC to its promises, as the committee has made vows to remain transparent. But the evidence that proves the officers are staying true to this and that they made themselves and their positions and goals clear is lacking. Some students do not know who the members of ASLC are, let alone what they do.

ASLC is our governing body and has been charged with representing Linfield students, so we must hold the Cabinet to high standards. The members should be able to present us with evidence of how they follow through with the promises and claims they make.

The Review staff are going to continue updating the public with our ASLC Senate column, which covers the weekly meetings and other relevant information. This week, that column features the names of the senators and ASLC Cabinet and LCAT members.

Our column provides us with a way of holding ASLC directly accountable for its actions, regardless of how the organization itself publicizes those issues. We commit to the idea that informing the public leads to a better democracy in this microcosm of the country.

It is our duty to inform the public; however, it is the responsibility of the public to use that information and act on it.

Attend the open senate meetings every Tuesday night in TJ Day at 6. If you have questions, go to the office hours of the person who specializes in the area that concerns you.

 

-The Review Editorial Board