After a week of deliberation, the Undergraduate Student Government Supreme Court has ruled against SBU-TV in their suit alleging that USG violated its own constitution in closing the daily operations of SBU-TV. From the court decision:
It is the upmost opinion of the Supreme Court that the Undergraduate Student Government’s 2011 Reformation of Stony Brook University Television violates no tenets of the Constitution in its passage or its substance, and thereby fully authorizes the transfer and reformation of SBU-TV to the USG Office of Communications.
…
This court unanimously finds that the 2011 Reformation of Stony Brook University Television was enacted within the bounds of the constitution. A motion for repeal requested by petitioner SBU-TV Executive Board is hereby denied.
Last Friday, members of the executive board of SBU-TV aired grievances before the court and outlined a dozen points they felt showed that USG acted in violation of existing USG law.
Adam Peck
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USG conducts Kangaroo Court and in doing so violates Education Law!
The student government shall prepare and approve a budget governing expenditures from student activity fees in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of the student government, and consistent with the principles of equal opportunity and viewpoint neutrality, prior to registration for each academic year.
If SBU-TV did not comply with the USG Constitution and by-laws it would not have been eligible to receive funding.
This action to shut down SBU-TV midstream, takes away an opportunity for those who wanted an experience behind the camera, with the guidance of a professional.
Viewpoint neutrality? Wasn’t Moiz Khan filmed saying that SBU-TV had served its purpose? According to whom? Moiz, David and Matt?
USG defined SBU-TV as:
Stony Brook University Television is The State University of New York at Stony Brook’s student cable television station broadcasting on campus and online. SBU-TV provides entertaining and educational programming and gives students of any major the opportunity to learn the inner-workings of a television station. Tune into Channel 20 for SBUTV. Club meetings are held Wednesday’s from 12:50pm – 2:00pm in SB Union Room 076 (in the basement). A USG funded club.
“A USG FUNDED CLUB”
Other SUNY campuses have student run and student funded TV stations. Some of those are SUNY Albany, Buffalo, Delhi and Oswego.
This appears more like someone in USG definitely has his own agenda.
Student Activity Fees: How to know your rights are being violated
http://blog.speakupmovement.org/university/freedom-of-religion/student-activity-fees-how-to-know-your-rights-are-being-violated/#
Sounds like USG and Dean Stein should get another letter like the one they recently received from the Alliance Defense Fund.
http://adfwebadmin.com/resources/Files/Stony%20Brook%20Letter.pdf
Where are all the “professionals” that are supposed to supervise USG?
Will your club or organization be next?
SBU TV, 1990′s-2011
Spring 2011 marked the end of SBU-TV, as closure was announced by the re-structured USG.
Hopefully this is not the end of SBU-TV and USG will be made to see the error of their ways and they will be held accountable.
Interesting statement by Moiz Khan in an article titled: “If the Dumb Could Speak,” which was printed in the SB Press in April 2010, which was directed at USG’s severe cut to the budget of the Statesman.
Moiz Khan:
“The USG takes no stance on the quality of a publication,” said Moiz Khan, USG Treasurer when asked about if the quality of The Statesman had factored into the decision to cut the budget. “It’s their first amendment right to print whatever they want to write. While opinions might be brought up, it would be a violation,” Khan said.
Almost a year later his opinion and those responsible for shutting SBU-TV down, is that SBU-TV has served its purpose and is outdated. Isn’t that an opinion and a violation?
There is supposed to be viewpoint neutrality during the budget process. USG should not be able to change the certified budget midway because their viewpoint is that SBU-TV was not living up to their standards. The biggest issue is that this was done without one word to SBU-TV’s staff to make a change.
The USG President:
The President is responsible for ensuring that the Undergraduate Student Government is operating properly and according to established legislation. He must ensure that all the Undergraduate Student Government agencies are fulfilling their created purpose. He is the official representative and spokesperson of the Undergraduate Student Government both inside and outside Stony Brook University. He has the power to veto any bill of the Senate. He makes all appointments within the Undergraduate Student Government in consultation with the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. He makes at least one written scheduled report per semester to the Senate and the Student Body on the state of the USG.
This is now on Matt Graham, if he felt SBU-TV was NOT fulfilling their created purpose, he needed to say something and give SBU-TV the opportunity to make corrections.
This current cast of USG characters have shown their true colors. They can neither be trusted or allowed to handle a 3.1M budget.
Remember this during the upcoming elections. Moiz and those currently involved in USG have been fiscally irresponsible with our student activity fee money. They have crossed the line morally and ethically with the extreme measures they have taken over this academic year.
Actions speak louder than words! Send them packing and vote them out!