Dear editor,
It has been a week since the Presidential Election was secured by Barack Obama, an election that has left a bitter taste in nearly half the country’s mouths.
Many Republican friends of mine, however, will continue to show their support for our president, a president that will continue to lead this country through difficult times.
Yes, Mitt Romney didn’t win, but that no longer matters to them.
If this country is going to succeed, we all need to come together as one because a country divided will continue to accomplish nothing.
This left me thinking about our community here at NMU and how it views our student government president.
Ben Stanley was elected by us, the students here on campus, and even though a lot of people didn’t want him as our student body representative, a lot of us did.
Yes, Ben has done some things in the past that ASNMU isn’t fond of, but he also has really done some great things.
He is a visible president who is always around campus.
He loves this community and wants to see ASNMU do great things for it.
He has been an avid supporter of the bike share program and the Wildcat Market, two programs that he has been pushing for, trying hard to enrich campus life for students.
Ben may not be a traditional student president, but then again, our school isn’t a traditional school either.
Not many universities in this country can brag like we can about the majestic Lake Superior or the rich Upper Peninsula forests: we are truly unique.
That is why we need to give Stanley a chance to do great things instead of getting rid of him.
A campus divided, a community divided or a student body divided will hurt us more than ever.
If we do not come together as a whole, then we will not be able to achieve what we are fully capable of.
It disheartens me to hear people talk poorly about the President of the United States and it also hurts when people talk badly about Ben Stanley.
Even our student government is holding an event to encourage students to come out and get their government back. Our government has always been here and still is here for students.
The only thing holding us all back is a campus divided. I suggest we toss the Articles of Impeachment out and all move on with our lives, to help Northern succeed as we go forward.
I love this school and country, but I am concerned for the success of both.
-Alex Nye
Senior, Writing Major
Amber • Nov 16, 2012 at 7:04 pm
I only know what was said. When Ben approached you at the table in the Wildcat Market 2 weeks back, he told you Klesey was graduating at semester. He then asked if you would be willing to step up and take VP. You said “sure, yes” and looked flattered. The discussion then moved to how the apointments would be handled and how the voting would take place. If other discussions took place thereafter, so be it. I appreciate that you care for the betterment of the student bodys cohesiveness. I respect you as a person, and agree that it would be nice to move past this. However, I do not feel dropping everything that has contributed to ASNMUs losing administrative relationships, and as an end result, the opportunity to have a strong presence in a myriad of places we otherwise would. I also speak as a constituent of the Liberal Arts & Sciences district. I strongly feel the student body should have their voices heard and abided by in regard to this matter.
Alex Nye • Nov 16, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Yes, Ben did approach me about being the Vice President next semester but I told him that I don’t know if I could make that commitment. I have not “accepted” his offer that you speak of. As for my article I genuinely want the articles tossed so we can all move on, I just want the campus to all come together. This was not an Obama Stanley comparison but a comparison of the student body and the residents of the United States. Also I was able to help restart the Wildcat Market with full support from Ben and in no way was he a road block in the process,he has given me many tips and pointers along the way. Also this is all my opinion as a STUDENT not as an ASNMU member.
Amber • Nov 16, 2012 at 12:29 pm
What many may not know is that the individual who wrote this has been approached by Benjamin STanley and offered the position of Vice President of ASNMU once the current VP graduates at semester. Alex accepted the offer, and said he would indeed step into the VP spot. That sways what I think about this statement overall. That being said, I’d also like to point out that “playing nice” is not what is being asked for by those who say drop the Artlices of Impeachment. They are asking the general assembly to look the other way when someone consistently roadblocks the progress of the group, and to set a precedence that unacceptable words and actions go without consequence. Consider the situation on a more personal level – ASNMU has upwards of $26,000 of STUDENT money allocated to them to spend on student programs. No new programs will be receive a greenlight from an adminstration that feels estranged from the student body government.
Are you serious? • Nov 15, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Did you really just take the time and effort to try and compare an at best laughable student body president to the President of the United States? Stanley has proven repeatedly that he is irresponsible and unfit to represent himself (I.E. contempt of court) much less the entire student body. And I really do enjoy his attorney publishing that he is representing Stanley in this issue against ASNMU. Stanley needs to stop being such a martyr and step down so that the students can be represented in a positive manner and not by some clown who is laughed at by the representatives from major universities and further devalues the degree that each of us earn from NMU.
WTAF • Nov 15, 2012 at 1:01 pm
And what if President Obama were thrown in jail for acting a fool in a court of law? Your argument is laughable in that it assumes the status quo of Stanley’s presidency doesn’t involve him being absent for his own inauguration for being in jail, or his blatant unprofessional behavior and misrepresentation of student government every time he gets the chance. There’s a reason the NMU administration (whether they’ll admit if publicly or not) refuses to work with him, and why it’s a nightmare in the PR office whenever he has to be even remotely responsible for something outside the purview of a 4th grader.
You can sing kumbaya and promote happy sunshine “let’s get along bro” rhetoric all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that Ben Stanley is a force actively damaging whatever little reputation ASNMU had/has. And while many of the articles of impeachment were poorly thought out or downright false, that doesn’t equal absolution for his hideous behavior and glaring leadership/character issues.
I won’t bother going into depth on the fallacy of composition presented by your argument that “we” chose him – I dare you to do a statistically significant survey of the student body today on his resignation. When the figurehead of your student body is known far and wide as “the chicken guy,” I’d say you have an institutional issue. But hey, that just adds to the “uniqueness” of NMU, right?