A Confident Student Government Must Steward Its Power Responsibly
Last semester, The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT-Tyler sent a formal letter to the executive director of the library and declared its support for the building returning to its pre-COVID-19 operating hours. This letter came after some students complained to SGA that the university’s COVID-19 hours prevented study groups from having a suitable location to study late at night. During SGA’s preliminary research into the possibility of longer library hours, the library director advised student government against the idea due to her concern that increased student interaction might raise the risk a COVID-19 outbreak. In the end, student government agreed with the students’ request for longer hours and subsequently sent a letter to the director in support of extended hours. So why does this matter? It matters because SGA’s willingness to go against the advice of a sitting administrator reveals a greater propensity within this class of members to operate independen...