The Undergraduate Student Government Senate again showed Tuesday night why the body has been so ineffective this year. The senate censored USG President Justin Zartman for making public statements about reforming the University Park Allocation Committee by a vote of 15-10.

Last month, Zartman vetoed a senate proposal to change the way UPAC funds the Distinguished Speaker Series. The senate's subsequent censure of Zartman seems to be an immature retaliation more reminiscent of elementary school arguments on the playground than the work of a university's governing student body.

Zartman was within his rights and duty as president to veto the bill. His job is to represent the student body, and according to him, his veto was doing just that. If the senators truly feel the UPAC reforms are in the best interest of their constituents, they can present their ideas, on their own, to UPAC without USG backing.

This year's senate has been an on-going disappointment. Rather than focusing on the students they represent, the senators are more interested in partisanship and political maneuvering. Every week, the senators seem to waste their meeting time pointing fingers, mouthing off about problems and who is to blame for them instead of working toward realistic and beneficial proposals and reforms. In August, the senate condemned student trustee Geoff Grivner for voting for a tuition increase. Like the Zartman censoring, the senate chose to waste its time voting on how to blame someone else instead of working toward real solutions.

Little has been accomplished in senate this year that benefits students, and little focus seems to be spent on seriously investigating ways to improve student life. But not all the senators should be blamed. At least some USG members recognize how ridiculous the senate has become. Town Sen. Matt Trupkovich perhaps said it best: "That was the most pointless thing we could have done to better the lives of students here." Some of the senate's own members realize how far the group has strayed from meeting the needs of its constituents. The rest of them need to take heed.