Your Vote Matters: Student Govt’s University Vote on Letter Addressing Codification of Roe v. Wade
This past Monday, many found in their email a question on what they want their elected Student Government officials to do regarding a letter the organization received from Agnes Scott College in Georgia. The letter was written by the Student Government of Agnes Scott College and calls the United States Congress to action about the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade this past summer. The letter specifically mentions the impact of the overturning on students, how it harms certain communities, and why student voices matter in this issue.
Rosa Parks, Student Government President of Agnes Scott College, wrote in her email to
Cumberland’s SGA, “I believe that this issue is too important to stay silent on.” The topic on what to do with the letter was opened during the SGA meeting Thursday night. It was decided that this decision is bigger than the organization, calling to leave the decision down to the university population. “It is understood that this is an impactful choice, and one too big for my officers to feel comfortable making,” University Student Body President, Clarissa Gadsey, says. “So ultimately it is the students, faculty, and staff who chose how we can best represent them given that the university they attend or work for will have their name on it along with Student Government.”
Administration is also watching to see what the population decides for the university. SGA had to seek approval for opening it up to the university, and Monday morning they got the all clear to see what everyone wishes the organization to do.
Vice President Abigail Beckett says “It is a privilege that Student Government got to open up this topic and be able to ask the student population. It’s a hard topic to discuss so allowing our campus to think on the current issues of our nation and how we can impact what’s happening above us is a great opportunity for us and the student body alike."
The letter is known to be a controversial and heated topic in today’s society, but that didn’t stop SGA from asking how they can best represent the university. Undoubtedly the organization has already received opposition for even entertaining the idea of the letter, but it is important to remember that it boils down to how the university votes as a whole.
Jake Harzbecker, a senator for Residence Life, states, “I think it’s good we left it up to the student body to decide. If we didn’t get their opinion on this topic we would not be able to accurately represent them.”
Voting closes at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18th (link is below)
https://forms.gle/JHMyTmDbwU33mLyW8