On Oct. 23 the Undergraduate Student Government voted to censor President Justin Zartman. This action was brought upon because some USG Senate members feel that Zartman is not representing the interests of the students.

Another point brought up by those trying to censor Zartman concerned who holds a greater mandate to speak on behalf of the students. My response to this is that the president and vice president speak on behalf of the students.

The USG Senate is the legislative body of USG. The president of an organization is the head, and therefore the voice for that body. Zartman was elected by the students last year; therefore he is the voice of the students. If the senate did become the voice of the students, then I would propose that Town Senators Jason Covenor, Rob Michaels and Rick Smith, strong opponents of Zartman, are not representative of the students. They obtained their seats by appointment.

They filled vacated seats and were not elected like the rest of the senators were. This action alone clearly states that they have no mandate from the students. I think the USG Senate made a mistake by trying to censor Zartman. In my eyes, he has done an excellent job as USG President and I am glad to have him as the voice of the undergraduate students. And yes, since he was elected by the students to represent them, he and not the USG Senate is the voice for the undergraduate students of this university.