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Show ~ THE UNIVEllSin fOl:JRNAL • SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERS1TY • MONDA¥, .M..<\'Y 18, 1998 - OPINION - SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION I COMMENTARY Congra'tulations on a great year "Our mission is to EMPOWER the students ... " At first glance, one who reads the beginning of the SUUSA mission statement may think that we are leading a rebellion. Our intent, however, is to incorporate and involve students in every aspect of campus life. Throughout this year my vice presidents and I have been very vocal on many issues. Currently we are proposing that student representation be increased on the Academic Computing Users Committee (ACUC). At this time only three students sit on ACUC. We have proposed that student representation be increased to seven students, comprised of one student from every college as well as the academic vice president and student body president. I believe that any committee will benefit by having student representation. Students will give any group or committee fresh input and knowledge. In turn students gain insight and understanding into many issues and policies. Surprisingly, we have met great opposition from ACUC. Many times this subject has been quite a battle, but we will continue to fight for student representation on a committee that deals with important issues such as Internet pornography, computer labs, computer fees and other difficult issues that affect everyone at suu. In speaking with Provost Frain G. Pearson about student representation, he felt the more students on a committee the better. I agree wholeheartedly with him. In fact I am deeply grateful for the support we have received from our advisors, the Deans' Council, Vice President Sterling Church, Provost T erry Alger, Provost Frain Pearson and President Steven D. Bennion, just to mention a few. Our hope is that representation will be increased before the school year is over. I am confident that together we will find a "win/win" situation. For my final commentary I wish to express to the students how impressed I have been with this year's student leaders. I have witnessed the m work tirelessly to put on events, pass bills, and improve your quality of life while at SUU. My two vice presidents, Tasha Adams and Mary Heybome have been a source of wisdom, support and friendship. They have courage and represent the student body well. I would add that my cabinet has been effective in every area. They have shown innovation, reliability and great maturity. Ii I have done any good as president of SUUSA, it most likely stems from the efforts of the many outstanding members of student government. Finally, I don't think it can ever be said that I didn't love the students and this great school. It has been an honor to serve you and I appreciate your support and confidence. I have loved every minute of my administra.tion. Stephen Aflen is president of SUUSA. UNIVERSITY JQ~~1 PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND DESK PHONE NUMBERS: Editor Larry &kcr S86-7751 C.mpus Editor Jim Robinson 586-1997 Consulting Sports Editors Neil Cardncr 586-7753 Brett Jewkes 586-7752 STUDENT STAfF AND DESK PHONE NUMBERS: Auociatc Editors Vtronica Camu 865-8225, 586-7750 Bnndoo Rhodes 586-7750, 586-1992 AP Wire Editor Kami Egan 586-7759 Copy Editor Tiana Tew 586-5488 Photo Editor John Cuenler 586-7759 Aru Editor Aruu Turpin 586-5488 Sports Editor Ch•d Lamb 865-8443 AdvutiJing Manager Maggie Neisen 586-7758 RIPORT£RS' DESK 586-7757 The Univuslry Joutnal b publbhed every Monday, Wtdnuday and Friday of the 1csdemic yeu u • public.Jtion of Southern Uuh Univcnity, l u dcp.attmcnc of communication and the SUV Student Auoci>tion. The view, and opinion. expressed In 1.h e Journal arc those o/ Individual writen and do not nt'ccauri1 reflect the opinion of the Journal or any entity of the uni vcnlty. Lcucn 1.0 the editor must be 1ypcd an include the name and phone numb«. Only 1he name will Ix: prin1td. Names will not Ix: withheld undu .any circurruu.ncu and thc cdlror rucrvcs editing privileges. Lcucr.s mwt be submhttd by noon Fridays for Mo nd•y editions, Tuc><J.ys lor Wednc,d.,y tdilloru &nd ThundJ)"> lor Friday editions. Grin1ncc1; Any individuAI with a grievance ag;ainst the /oumol ,hould direct 1uch problem Hn,t to the c-ditor. Ii umc,olved. due. gric-nncc ahould thc-n be- directed to c.bc fournaJ Steering Comr:nhtce, whkh is <haircd by Dr. Fr>in C . Pe•non, 586-7971. Univurlry Jou.ma/: Ollie<> in SUU Technology Building OOJ. M•il u SUU Box 9384, Ccd.&.r Chy, Utah S47W. FAX {435J 586-S487. E-nuil «ldzcss: foum•IO.uu.tdu C PIUNTEDON RECYClW PAPf.R. PLEASE RICYClf. TI{IS COPY. DAVE BARRY COMMENTARY There's a Navy tugboat in my garage I think I might know where the missile · FIRST FEDERAL EMPLOYEE: OK, I'll just launcher is. check behind the cushions of this employee's I'm referring to the $1 million missile launcher lounge sofa here and... Hey, here's some! Looks our armed forces have apparently misplaced, like a total of two... three... Wow! It's $17 million! according to the recent audit of the U.S. SECOND FEDERAL EMPLOYEE: So THAT'S government (motto: "We Do Have A Motto, But what happened to it! We Don't Know Where It Is"). So I know the money is around somewhere. You might have missed the news stories about What has me concerned is the auditors' finding this audit, which didn't get a whole lot of media that the federal government has also apparently attention because-as difficult as this is to lost track of some fairly large items, including a believe-it had nothing to do with Paula Jones. $1-million Army missile launcher, two $4The background is, ba~k in 1994 Congress million Navy engines for fighter aircraft, two decided there should be a complete audit of the large Navy tugboats costing $875,000 each and a entire federal government. This seemed like a $460,000 floating crane. good idea, since the U.S. government had not Now, in any organization you're going to have been audited for more than 2.00 years. The reason people stealing pens, paper clips, etc. But security Congress didn't get around to ordering an audit has to be pretty darned lax for somebody to walk any sooner is that it's been extremely busy with off with a "tugboat." its primary function, which is spending money. GUARD: Hey, what's that gigantic bulge under As you can imagine, the federal audit was a your overcoat with a smokestack sticking out! huge job. The auditors spent thousands of hours THIEF: This? Nothing. at the U.S. Government Records Facility. When GUARD: OK, then. the auditors were finished, they released a report What concerns me is, what if we have a defense containing alarming findings, including these: emergency, and we need these missing items? Are It turns out that both "Lewis" and "Clark" we going to scare Saddam Hussein if our fighter were actually the same person, and he never got pilots have to sit on the runway in engine-less. farther west than New Jersey. planes and make fighter-plane noises with their Although according to the U.S. Constitution mouths? Also, if the government doesn't know there are supposed to be nine members of the where its crane is, what ELSE doesn't it know? Supreme Court, a detailed search of the premises, For example, I was in Washington, D.C., recently, including under all the desks, turned up only five. and I walked past a huge building that said North Dakota is missing. "We think Canada "Department of the Interior"; then a short while took it," stated the auditors, "but every time we later I walked past ANOTHER huge building that called up there to ask about it, they just laughed said "Department of the Interior." Why would we and hung up the phone." need TWO departments of the Interior? We only Now I have some good news and some bad have one Interior! Unless we've lost 1HAT, too. news. The good news is, I made up the preceding So I think the government should stop whatever audit findings. The bad news is, the findings are else it's doing until it finds all this missing worse. I'm NOT referring to the finding that the property. I think a good place to start looking government has no i dea what happened to would be my garage. There's a LOT of stuff in billions of dollars. That's totally understandable. there and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if there \Yhen you're suc~g in and spewing out money was a missile launcher or a tugbqat in there as fast as the federal government, you have to somewhere. So I say to the government: Come expect that a billion dollars is going to fall and get it! And while you're here, please take between the cracks. I bet if federal employees these Supreme Court justices, because they're took just a few minutes out of their work starting to smell. schedules to look around, they'd quickly find a lot of this so-called "lost" money. Daye Barry is a nationally syndicated columnist. |