The political game that crippled Thursday's ASM Council meeting was counterproductive and disappointing. I entered the meeting as a concerned student constituent only to discover that the majority of the Badger Party conservatives had not found it worth their time to attend. Their irresponsibility shut down the meeting because two thirds of the council must be present for a vote.
The same absenteeism also shut down the SSFC meeting this week, so we are left to wonder how long the conservatives' political strike will last. Apparently the progressives and moderates are the only council members whose interest in improving campus climate supersedes their interest in building political resumes out of fancy stall tactics.
There must have been a logical purpose behind the conservatives' choice not to attend the meeting, but no acceptable reason has been given, nor has the action assisted ASM in its difficult task of forging resolutions from a controversial agenda.
Instead, the conservative absence deprived various ASM committees of new members who were to be confirmed last night, causing each committee to lose valuable time and organizing efficiency. This suggests that the absent Badger Party conservatives had little interest in making ASM an effective body.
All ASM members were elected to council because of their commitment to activism, not absenteeism. I am disappointed by the conservative decision to destroy Thursday's meeting, and I applaud the progressives and moderates whose attendance signifies that they were prepared to struggle for progress.
