It seems about the right time to address the activities of the Students’ Union (SU), the General Body Members (GBM), and the Election Commission (EC), which have all seen an exponential rise. Seeing as there are differing opinions on this subject even within the English Press Club, I wish to provide as unbiased and critical an opinion as possible through this editorial for Issue Five. The issue itself will have articles covering the student protests, the UC GBM meet, and the APOGEE Review Meet, as well as an interview with the EC. I hope the issue provides a comprehensive coverage of the events that have transpired on campus in the recent weeks.

I scour through past Fine Print issues to check whether student politics on campus has ever really been as volatile as it has been this past year and can find no instances. Every year has seen some issues associated with the SU, but the past year has just felt significantly more haphazard. The year started with the SSMS volunteer debacle, transitioned into apologies and certain initiatives being worked on by the SU, and now seems to have acquired a confused sense of not knowing what is going to happen next. After having read the recent emails sent out by the General Secretary and the Election Commission, I’m left with more questions than answers. 

I believe the confusion has been aggravated by the problems with the SU Constitution. Everyone involved in recent events has been accused of using its loopholes and grey areas to justify their actions. The Constitution should have minimal loopholes to begin with; why have the stakeholders not addressed the need to amend the Constitution in their mails? While it is obviously not possible to create a comprehensive document that can potentially cover every case, the Constitution still needs revamping urgently.

Besides the problems with the Constitution, there are other pressing questions that have turned up post the General Secretary’s email. Wasn’t the entire UC vote to put the DVM into probation also based merely on an “or” clause? If a clear majority within the ARC voted against putting DVM in probation, how then did all UC members vote in favour? Is this how the GBM is represented, with a clear sense of veto within the ARM? Why did the EC provide a strict deadline of 24 hours to the SU during the comprehensive exams, which would have certainly posed some difficulties for the SU? 

After all of what has happened, the future seems extremely uncertain. Who becomes the acting SU President? What does this mean for the next SU elections? More importantly, how do the EC and the SU wish to inspire the GBM and amend the Constitution? While I do not have answers to these questions myself, I hope the SU and the EC, along with the GBM, can take responsibility for providing solutions to the bigger problem, which is the Constitution. I wish that the student community on campus is as united as ever before in this venture.