First, a warning to the readers. As I write this letter the clock is now turning to read 3:30 a.m. Usually I am a night person, but for some reason the caffeine just doesn't seem to be kicking in. Thus, the following are just a few personal observations concerning recent events, and do not necessarily represent those of the Undergraduate Student Government Senate, the student body, my roommates or my pet iguana.

For those of you who have not been glued to your television watching O.J. sitting stiller than my iguana, and instead been following the recent investigation of USG President Mike King about possible alleged violations he committed against the USG constitution, then this letter is for you. (Even if you haven't kept up with things, feel free to read further in the interest of putting off homework.)

Seriously however, there are some issues that need to be addressed. I don't think anyone actually desired to have an investigation of our student government president take place. After all, what can be more fun than diverting precious time from "working on serious projects" or creating high levels of tension between people who throughout the year have united with one another to oppose housing discrimination aimed at students, as well as to create successful services such as the book co-op. I know I certainly don't enjoy seeing my friends be either near or at the center of controversy every day.

To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that most of you out there find the whole thing rather silly. That in the end what is taking place now is no different from last year when the headlines ran "Controversy rocks USG" or the turmoil filled year before that when Rob Kampia and the USG Senate went after each other continuously.

However, when all of the smoke clears, there are legitimate questions that need to be answered.

I'll spare everyone the agony of rehashing each individual alleged violation, but it all boils down to one thing. Were the rules broken? And if there was no malicious intent to break the rules, how can we as an organization prevent similar misgivings from occurring in the future? That in a nutshell is what senate voted to look at last week. The formal and only legitimate way of going about finding these solutions is to vote for an investigation.

No one wants to see this thing dragged out any longer than is necessary. Thus the best way to see that that occurs is to leave those members of the committee charged with conducting this investigation. It makes no sense to have non-current members of USG make comments in public when they are relying on secondhand knowledge anyway. Even members of USG who are not directly involved are refraining from making assumptions in order to ensure the process is fair and unbiased.

There is one more point that I need to make. The people who are your senators are volunteers, as are most of the people within USG. Whether you agree or not with what has taken place, members of the senate have acted because they were, and are, truly concerned. For these are people who often sacrifice their own studies and time to make something better for each of you. In the end these senators are average students like yourself, no better, no worse, who just truly care about their school and who want to make surviving at it a little easier.

If you have concerns about what is taking place then direct them towards me. Don't do as Chris Saunders did in Monday's Collegian and take potshots at people trying to make what they believe is the best decision in a complex and confusing situation. Senators such as Heather Wesley work too hard and deserve more than that. If you have to throw a low punch, then direct it solely towards me. My cardboard title says senate president, and I will take complete responsibility for and stand by the actions that my senators take.

There are a lot of good projects in the works from all parts of USG, and I hope that the events of the past week do not confirm your possible cynicism. USG is out there for you, but in the end we are the only ones who can prove your doubts about USG wrong. You can now resume watching the O.J. trial.