Students should support Steve Davey’s candidacy for
Facilities Commissioner because he knows the job, and as this
year’s commissioner, he has done more with the position than
any other student in the recent past.
Students should pause, however, when considering Davey’s
rabble-rousing demeanor as a member of this year’s
council.
Many USAC candidates are approaching student government for the
first time, hoping to bolster their resumes, or seeking a
springboard into campus politics. But Davey, a second-year
political science student, already knows the ins and outs of being
Facilities Commissioner. This year, he has been a strong advocate
for student interests by arranging for 24-hour study space in the
libraries during tenth and finals weeks and by working to increase
lighting on campus.
The functions of Davey’s position are so poorly defined by
USAC’s constitution and bylaws that Davey has even shown
willingness to eliminate the commission altogether as part of his
proposal for structural reform in student government.
As the leader of the Facilities Commission, Davey has done an
excellent job and deserves to continue his work. But as a member of
the council, he has been an unnecessarily divisive voice.
It’s one thing for Davey to express his opinions and vote his
conscience; it’s another to deliberately mock the body he
belongs to. If Davey is going to spend another year on USAC, he
needs to learn how to work with other council members, even if he
disagrees with their politics.
This year, Davey has irresponsibly abused his position on USAC.
His Watergate-style questioning of Liz Geyer during her appointment
hearing for External Vice President was overly-aggressive and
alienating. And every time Davey abstains from voting on
appointments, he acts as a roadblock to the more efficient student
government he says he desires.
If Davey hopes to achieve any of the reforms that we agree are
necessary, he needs to grow up and work with his fellow officers,
not attack them for no real reason.
There is an appropriate way to be a minority voice on USAC, a
function that is truly important to checking the unabashed power of
the majority slate. But promoting conflict won’t help Davey
achieve any of his goals.
All things considered, Davey may not be the best person to be a
USAC officer. But after a successful year leading the Facilities
Commission, he deserves the chance to continue that work and prove
that he can be a responsible council member.