By Justin Rebello

Thank God for SGA.

Sure, they failed in every facet imaginable to keep tuition down for next year, but hey, we the students did get something out of all this. A tree. It’s a tuition hike, Charlie Brown!

I’m just curious, what exactly does SGA do? I’m probably just ignorant on the matter, but was there an election? And if so, shouldn’t this have been brought to our attention? I’d like to think there was a democratic method whereby our student leaders were selected, and such factors as competency at some point played a role. But I’m having a tough time distinguishing between a model SGA and political science majors running amok. As we all know there is nothing in this world more annoying than a political science major running amok. Maybe Kathy Griffin. And that’s a big maybe.

I’m sorry if I seem upset, I’m just a little confused as to how SGA legislated tuition could not be raised past 2 percent last year, allowed it to jump to 4.5 percent, deemed that a “victory,” and then allowed a 6 percent hike this year. Who’s handling these negotiations? Jessica Simpson?

Now, $820 per semester might not seem like much to a select few who go to school at Northeastern, and by “select few,” I mean people from Connecticut. But it adds up, especially when you’ve already dropped an NFL punter’s salary on school.

Even more so when you consider all the added fees we’ve already incurred in just a few semesters at Northeastern. Like the $10 waffles at Stetson East, and the mandatory sports fee when only one team on campus is even worth watching and the $10 it costs to get a replacement Husky Card. The last one really irks me. Ten dollars? If I lose my ID at work, they make me another one. No harm, no foul. What happened? Did the utterly depressed work study who pushes the “print” button hold out for more money?

Now, I realize tuition by nature has to increase. I also understand Northeastern isn’t the only university treating its students like the little boy in “Happiness.” I just wish I had a clearer and more rational understanding of where the money was going and how I, and people of my ilk, namely upperclassmen, are going to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Let’s face it, Northeastern’s administrators move with all the speed of Muhammad Ali playing Jenga. We’re already paying for a stadium that won’t be finished until Jeb Bush, Jr. is president. The money we’re spending now is also supposed to be used for financial aid. Read that last sentence again. That’s counter-productivity at its finest.

The only element of the new tuition hike that makes any sense to me is the 100 professors the university plans to hire. Granted, 100 is kind of a tricky number when it comes to this school, but it’s a novel concept. Better professors, better education. That might just work.

Still, why not concentrate on the professors we currently have? They all seem like nice people, particularly the ones who currently affect my grade point average. How about situating them in nicer quarters than the Nightingale/Lake/Meserve/ Holmes labyrinth? Anytime I want to go to office hours I need a map and a Sherpa.

While we’re on the subject of rational spending, why not concentrate on renovating some of the dumpy buildings on campus (i.e. Kariotis, Ryder, Mugar, Robinson), instead of inexplicably giving freshmen West Village housing? Hey, you’re freshmen. Your housing is supposed to suck. I lived in a Speare Hall triple my freshman year. By the end of the year I was envious of sardines, but it builds character.

Of course, you would think SGA would play a small role in how many tuition dollars are spent, and to what capacity. Perhaps they do, but when you mandate a freeze on tuition hikes at 2 percent, only to see that number triple the very next year, we the students might not be feeling a great deal of confidence in our student leaders.

In the end, the best SGA could do was a tree. Well, that’s just the final insult. The administrators are going to reason this the way any businessman would, and that’s in the best interest of the company. They aren’t going to look at a little dinky tree and be like “My God, what have we done? Mr. President, lower the tuition this instant! Well, did you look at the tree?”

SGA desperately needs to grow a pair. Don’t give us excuses like a lack of time prevented you from maintaining tuition. What happened? Was everyone still hung over from one of Andres Vargas’ beer bashes? Focus on the matter at hand. Get the student body behind you. Not just those psychotic organization leaders, the actual student body. For one thing, make people at least somewhat aware you exist. The typical student shouldn’t have to rely on The Northeastern News as a messenger when they learn they will be paying back student loans until 2040.

Make your actions public, and let the student body in on the decisions that affect our immediate future. We have a right to not be left in the dark. For starters, what does SGA even stand for?

– Justin Rebello can be reached at [email protected].