Fees committee selection unfair
This letter to the editor is being written in strong objection to Tuesday’s Minnesota Student Association proceedings. The ratification of the 1999-2000 student fees committee was nothing less than unprofessional and functionally lacking in proper organization.
Many of the student representatives of MSA were unaware the vote would even be taking place. This is because it was not put on the agenda properly. Instead, there was a feeble, handwritten attempt to make an agenda for the meeting.
This is not a personal attack on the current proposed fees committee members; however, one needs only to look at the statistics to see that there is certainly a better combination of students who could represent the greater University’s interests.
Of the 13 current committee members, eight are directly tied to partisan groups, an extreme minority are graduate students, only three are women and there is no cultural-center representation. There is nothing wrong with being involved in political organizations; in fact, I am a member of several. It is wrong, however, to have such a large number of politically biased people on a committee designed to function in the best interests of the entire University community.
The only organizations that are represented by the currently proposed student fees committee are Students Against Fee Excess, the U-DFL, the College Republicans and the Campus Libertarians. On a campus where diversity is supposedly welcomed, it seems quite contradictory to have a 98 percent white student fees committee. It would reflect poorly on the MSA, its members and the University if the opportunity to re-vote were not granted.
This letter is in support of a re-vote resolution and a unified effort to increase the quality of representation at the political level at the University. True and equal representation will only ensure the increased strength and effectiveness of our student fees allocations for this and future academic years. Until this is achieved, the work and efforts of the University will be taken very lightly, if at all.

Danae Curtis,social-political chair,Africana Student Cultural Center,senior,College of Liberal Arts

No diversity on fees committee
We have certain concerns regarding the Minnesota Student Association’s conduct and the current fees committee slate. My concern is that, as a member of MSA, I was not notified of the slate of individuals who would be on the fees slate. They were not on the prior agenda and just showed up at forum.
I was unable to attend the forum on Nov. 16 and be an active participant in voting on the slate. Also, a majority of those on the slate do not represent multicultural centers, which make up the majority of those who benefit from student-services fees. MSA should reconsider the slate and the qualifications of the individuals who hold a vote on the future of the fees-receiving student organizations.

Keo Vilaysone,MSA representative,Asian American Student Cultural Center

Carolyn Erfe,intercultural representative,Asian American Student Cultural Center