I think we’ve been played

How can this be?
​SU has declared financial exigency/emergency, an issue that the SU community WAS so passionate and skeptical of. It has been reported that financial exigency draws negative attention to the university as a whole.
​I agree, because if one were to look closely at SU’s current status of functioning, these several implementations (i.e. layoffs, furloughs, shortened class weeks, and program consolidations) have been set up and are signs of the closing chapters of SU’s legacy.
What happened to those people, both board members and the general SU community, who were breaking the silence valiantly by opposing the issue of declaring financial exigency?
​When the declaration was initially placed on the agenda in September, EVERYONE  spoke out on the issue and a deadlock vote of 6-6 caused for celebration. We must have celebrated to hard and forgot that this is a fight to the finish. What makes matters worse is the fact that last week the entire board, minus the two members absent, were in favor of declaring financial exigency with a 14-0 vote.
​What caused them to change their minds? 
​The chairman of the board told the Advocate that they changed their minds because the faculty wouldn’t compromise.
​So … does that mean give up?
​Usually if an agreement isn’t met then another alternative should be put forth.
 I also question the alteration of the agenda. The declaration of financial exigency was added to the agenda at the last minute during homecoming week, a time when people are filled with the jaguar spirit. I don’t think this was an appropriate time for a decision to be made without giving formal notice to the entire jaguar nation, meaning adding an item of such concern at the last minute was a shady move. (And they wonder why the endowment is low and why the radio-thon can barely raise $100,000. We raised millions in the early 2000’s, check the records.)
 So where do we go from here?
​​To start off, I believe President Mason, Chancellor Llorens, and the board members who voted for financial exigency should give the SU community an elaborative explanation to why financial exigency is the last resort. Articles have been written about financial exigency being something that can cause a negative image for the campus.
​If this is the only way out of our financial crisis, tell us why!!! 
​We are really losing the trust and faith of our administrators and we need to bridge that gap.
​Secondly, cease with the secrets and quick moves like the one that was pulled last Friday. We usually receive emails about those issues, but no one(maybe a few) received a notice about the declaration or any information pertaining to the shortened class week scheduled for next semester.
All of the examples stated earlier are prime examples of power being utilized and abused by the elite few. The power must be (and hopefully will be) put back in the hands of the student body and faculty members. My colleague stated in an editorial last month that we need solutions to these problems rather than speaking flowery rhetoric. I agree and the first step to creating a solution is to come together collectively and work towards a solution. I can only imagine what would happen if all students and faculty members from the entire SUS boycott the university for a month.
​What if we had newly organized student groups on campus whose mission promotes the longevity and continuance of the jaguar nation by attending all board meetings while building a rapport between the student body and administrators?
​You may ask, “Doesn’t the SGA do that already?” The answer is (you fill in the blank). 
​If all of these COLLECTIVE strategies were to take place the administrators would have no choice but to find alternatives.
 Now that we realized we’ve been played, let’s provoke the administrators to give US some solid answers to OUR new status of financial exigency.​