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One of the main things HUSC has been trying to push for who knows how long is the idea of diversity. It’s on all of the applications to be involved with HUSC, and the members of HUSC are asked to address the issue of diversity. Diversity isn’t just race or gender or sexual orientation. It’s socioeconomic class, it’s political affiliation, it’s religious affiliation. These too are part of diversity, and for us not to recognize that may be one of the reasons HUSC is not as diverse as it would like to be.

Now, I get the question about why student dollars should provide for an organization like this. If they wanted to learn gun safety and go to a shooting range, they should do so on their own. Well, is that not true for the Rock Stars, Hamline’s rock-climbing organization? They teach their members how to safely rock climb and provide a means to practice. HUSC funds them.

This could even be said of organizations like Spectrum and PRIDE and the newly formed Fusion. Could the members not be active without the aid of the organization? Do they need HUSC’s funding? Only as much as HUGS does, and that is why HUGS has just the same right as any other organization to become chartered.

Now, to address the issue of the conduct of the HUSC members. Not only was there a substantial number of members missing to begin with (obvious commitment to HUSC), but, near the end of the meeting, members simply walked out.

In the meeting, by-laws were discussed, passed, and tabled. Reports were given. Fusion was chartered.
And when that was done, there was a motion by Shona that the meeting be adjourned so that we could witness the demonstration by PRIDE on Old Main. Yes, adjourn before new business even comes.
Adjourn before we can charter two organizations that wish to be a part of Hamline.

The motion did not pass, so many of the representatives simply left anyway, regardless of the fact that the meeting was still going on. Way to be responsible. Still, we continued. Then HUGS came up. HUSC members began, after it had been stated that guns would not be on campus, attacking the HUGS president about how guns shouldn’t be on campus and how the organization would do that. They didn’t even listen to him talk and just assumed that anyone who was willing to start something like this wasn’t responsible enough to know that Hamline bans guns on campus.

But no.

Then, as debate continued, representatives continued to get up and leave, including Shona, the HUSC president. Way to show support for your constituents. In short order, so many people left that there were not enough members present to hold the meeting, and it ended right in the middle of debate.

I honestly want to thank Shona for setting an example as she did. One organization is obviously more important than another, especially if it requires you to stop doing your job in being present during the HUSC general assembly. If only we all had that sense of ethics.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is something wrong with HUSC. If members don’t show up and organizations can’t get support, then who is HUSC really representing? Claps to all.

Eric Binfet
HUSC Sophomore Representative