2008 Woodie Awards
Revisiting Robo
Gabe Shames
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Opinion
Say what each might about Jason Robo personally, it becomes difficult to not find a political slant on A.S. or the administration's part when considering his recently reported impeachment procedures. If this is in fact the first impeachment hearing of A.S. in about a decade, as Ashley Mackin reported, are we really expected to believe that the issue that brought an officer's status into question after all this time is a violation based only on two missed meetings, one of which A.S. was informed about in advance?
Given all that Robo gave to the community in terms of organizing across club lines for independent thinking and social justice, concepts said to be revered by our campus institution, it seems within procedure that a representative from A.S. or the administration provide additional justification for impeachment in an appeals process. Had this been just a question of his "violation" from missing the meeting, these top officials of the university would most likely avoid bringing further negative attention to themselves in the heat of the budget crisis and no-confidence movement and found a way to side-step official impeachment. It seems a slim chance that the underlying reaction here is purely to one no-show situation, but rather boosted by political disdain for an official not afraid to look corruption in the face and call it out.
We should be aware that one of the most common complaints about our campus atmosphere is that there's an over-abundance of idealism and magical thinking and a lack of meaningful action or message. Despite our differing opinions on the theories and causes he's presented to us on the quad, it would be in the best interests of the student body to support him politically as a defender of student empowerment and freedom of speech. Part of A.S.'s mission is to retain shared governance, and that would include recognizing that although Jason Robo slipped on his attendance requirement, he has never ceased to fulfill the goal of community involvement and student procedural education. We shouldn't be intimidated by these issues, because they will remain whether or not he leaves!
Gabe Shames is a religious studies junior at Humboldt State University and a participant in HSU NORML, Humboldt Circus, and Focus the Nation
Given all that Robo gave to the community in terms of organizing across club lines for independent thinking and social justice, concepts said to be revered by our campus institution, it seems within procedure that a representative from A.S. or the administration provide additional justification for impeachment in an appeals process. Had this been just a question of his "violation" from missing the meeting, these top officials of the university would most likely avoid bringing further negative attention to themselves in the heat of the budget crisis and no-confidence movement and found a way to side-step official impeachment. It seems a slim chance that the underlying reaction here is purely to one no-show situation, but rather boosted by political disdain for an official not afraid to look corruption in the face and call it out.
We should be aware that one of the most common complaints about our campus atmosphere is that there's an over-abundance of idealism and magical thinking and a lack of meaningful action or message. Despite our differing opinions on the theories and causes he's presented to us on the quad, it would be in the best interests of the student body to support him politically as a defender of student empowerment and freedom of speech. Part of A.S.'s mission is to retain shared governance, and that would include recognizing that although Jason Robo slipped on his attendance requirement, he has never ceased to fulfill the goal of community involvement and student procedural education. We shouldn't be intimidated by these issues, because they will remain whether or not he leaves!
Gabe Shames is a religious studies junior at Humboldt State University and a participant in HSU NORML, Humboldt Circus, and Focus the Nation
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