As a Marquette University Student Government senator from the College of Arts & Sciences and the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, I feel compelled to respond to the Viewpoint written by Brandon Henak in the Sept. 20 edition of The Marquette Tribune. In his Viewpoint, Mr. Henak misrepresented MUSG's transparency as a governing organization on campus and made claims regarding both past and present spending measures about which he is uninformed.

Contrary to the overtones in Mr. Henak's viewpoint, MUSG is not a secret organization making whimsical decisions without consulting the student body. In fact, all senators spend a great deal of time each week reaching out to their constituents in order to generate ideas and bring the pressing issues to the forefront of MUSG's agenda. Additionally, MUSG is a very accessible organization. The office is located in Alumni Memorial Union 133 and members from all branches of the organization are available to assist students on a daily basis. Meetings are held every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. in AMU 227. Each Senate agenda contains a Forum for Concerned Students segment, thereby granting all students the opportunity to make suggestions or inquiries. MUSG not only welcomes students to its meetings, but it also encourages them to attend!

Ironically, Mr. Henak, who has been a critic of MUSG for quite some time, has not attended a single meeting over the course of my one-year tenure. Had he attended the Sept. 15 meeting, he would have found that his claim, "All votes and decisions made by MUSG senate are conducted by secret ballot or show of hands," is erroneous. In fact, all votes at the Sept. 15 meeting were recorded roll call votes.

Regarding the budget and past spending measures; Mr. Henak is either blatantly misinterpreting the information or is uninformed. I will assume that the latter is true. The installation of LCD monitors in the AMU and John P. Raynor, S.J. library was a joint project sponsored by MUSG, branches of the university and the Marquette Interchange Project. The cost was not "half a million dollars;" rather, it was $100,000. I co-authored a bill to use $10,000 from the MUSG Reserve Fund (a fund specifically for purchasing capital goods that benefit students) because I am cognizant of the fact that there are currently 187 active student organizations on campus who need both money and space for advertising. As a former member of the Student Organizations Allocation Committee, I can tell you that a significant portion of the SOA fund went towards advertising. The LCD monitors provide all student organizations with the option of free advertising on a space with infinite posting capacity. The one time $10,000 investment will provide more money for future SOA committees to fund events, thus enabling our student organizations to prosper here at Marquette. Like computers, the LCD monitors will be updated periodically with money from the university's technology fund ensuring that they won't just "burn out in five years anyways."

Members of MUSG take their role as student representatives very seriously. By reaching out to students, keeping our doors open at all times, and making decisions that benefit the student body as a whole, we will continue to be the true face of the student body and will be the vehicle through which Marquette goes from good to great.

This viewpoint was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 22, 2005.