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Open Letter to the Outgoing SGA By Cass C. Carter Ombudsman Uwgpaper.ombudsman@gmail.com
Dear SGA,
I am the Ombudsman of the West Georgian newspaper. At the beginning of this semester, I wrote a piece that laid out in plain English a full description of my position. I stated that I was a voice inside the office of this newspaper for anyone who had a problem. I am not paid in any way by this newspaper, I refuse payment because I proactively seek to stem off any allegations of a conflict of interest.
In the past, I have approached several SGA officers and senators, giving my e-mail address and contact information. I have begged for your input, constructive criticisms and for specific evidence that I can take to the editor-in-chief, the paper's Advisor and to the publications board if necessary.
I've stood next to the newsstands and told people how they can give feedback about the paper, if they felt the need. I've begged for the information necessary to make the paper better. I've gone to every meeting I'd been made aware of that involved the complaints of the student body and told everyone I was here to help.
I have received not a single e-mail from any of your at my ombudsman or personal e-mail addresses, both of which are in this paper weekly in every article I write and in the valuable ad space the editor generously granted in order to publicize the position. When it comes to accurate complaints backed up by substantive evidence, it seems the students brought everything they had to bear-there was nothing.
During the Student Publications Board meeting on the complaints against this paper, I pulled out my laptop and logged in to my account and showed it to everyone present. I had 1 e-mail from Ellis Smith responding to a specific complaint I'd had gathered through proactively looking for problems, in which he'd agreed to file a correction. I had another from Ellis who told me to be at the meeting I was already in, as well of 3 from Pauline Gagnon about the same meeting.
Apparently, the officers and senators of the SGA deigned themselves to be above dealing with a mere plebian as myself. I was above their notice, and their silence in the face of my call for complaints said everything I needed to know. For them, they knew I was looking to make the paper better, and that was counter to the goals of the SGA. They came not to improve the paper, but to bury it.
While I can understand the anger about some of the content under Ellis Smith this year, I have to disagree strongly with your response. This is a clear attack on the integrity of this paper; the lack of evidence brought to bear on the accusations of being "divisive" and the phrases used, which include criticism for being too "negative", makes it clear the intent of the SGA does not want a paper representative of the student body. It wants a propaganda arm of the University.
Unfortunately, the lame-duck SGA that voted for this may dismayed to learn that even if their motion passed and even if they somehow got away with this flagrantly illegal act, I will not stand to be silenced. I know plenty of ways to be sure to be heard, and you can be sure I will see to it that if anyone who voted for this will have this follow them throughout their careers.
The only way you can have a paper that doesn't include negative opinions is to make it entirely devoid of journalists. When a journalist sits down to write, he is a friend of no one. You cannot demand that a paper that is attempting to create an accurate portrait of life at UWG restrain itself from writing anything that might make West Georgia look bad.
It's an unfortunate fact, which I have witnessed first-hand from the passenger front seat of our UWG Police cars, that there is crime here. Students deserve to know about these happenings, so that they can better understand what's happening, prevent it from happening to them, and to be good citizens in keeping an eye out for crime. This is not something that hurts our University as I see it, but rather empowers students to prevent themselves from becoming victims.
As a student, I can tell you that the food quality at the Z-6 is average at best, despite the high expense we as students pay for the privilege. Our food dollars do not go far enough, and the SGA has contributed to the pain by levying fees for things like a stadium for our delightful no-win football team. Don't like that we mention that our football team has failed to achieve victory a single time last year? Too bad, it's an accurate statement and it's appropriate for our students to know.
Our reportage on the SGA has never been refuted on a factual basis, despite the widespread complaints. Clearly, the upset is not over a dispute over fact-checking issues, but rather the subject matter-you were appalled that we'd dare write about the corruption within your ranks, the abuse of power and the appearance of impropriety in the allocation of student funds in our news section. You were angered that we'd dare opine on the matter in our clearly demarked Opinion section.
If you are upset about the topics we cover, please just come out and say it. Stop trying to couch your anger in terms of how we're not up to high standards-we've had our door open all year, where were you? Just come and say you're disgusted at our gall at speaking out against the almighty gilded students who see themselves as above critique.
I will, of course, disagree. No one in the public eye is above comment. If you put yourself out there and place yourself into a position of power over students, then expect resistance. I am here to listen to your complaints, and I will be the first to respond to the wrongs when they are committed and specific cases are documented. I've found that when evidence is present, those at this paper are fast to respond.
But you can't ask us to change our "tone" to be more "positive" if there is nothing more positive to report. If you feel there's more to say, come to our office or send us an article on it. I've never seen a well-written article turned down in this office in two years. We don't exclude-our office is probably one of the most diverse on campus. The only one who is holding back those stories is you.
Sincerely,
Cass C. Carter TWG Ombudsman
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