Upon a recent visit to the Student Government Web site, I found a few resolutions that, surprisingly, appeared to be of some value to the common good. These included Assembly Resolution 24, "In Support of the Gender and Sexuality Center," Assembly Bill 29, "In support of the creation of a Student Activity Center," and AR 25, letting Mack and the boys know that the student body congratulates them on their recent success in Pasadena.
Glad to hear that last one squeaked through.
Listed along with those other resolutions is AR 21, supporting students seeking justice in Bhopal. SG voted down this call to condemn Dow Chemical Company for the devastating mess it left in Bhopal, India, more than 21 years ago, the effects of which continue to poison and kill. The guilty party: Union Carbide, responsible for using untested technology that came with unknown risks. Dow - a regular contributor to UT research grants and donations - acquired the company in 2002.
SG's rebuke would come in the form of a request tendered to newly anointed President Bill Powers, the Board of Regents and the deans of schools and colleges to accept no money from Dow in excess of the quantity the company has pledged to spend annually to clean up the mess left in India.
I'll let my potshots simmer at least until tomorrow, after SG has had a chance to reverse its decision when presented with the less harshly worded but similar AR 26. Maybe Student Government will actually own up to its "responsibility," one of those UT "core values" that both resolutions say Dow is lacking.
Taking responsibility seems to come at a high premium these days. Dow spokesman Scott Wheeler claims that Dow never assumed Union Carbide's liability in its purchase of the company. It probably took a little finessing and finagling from a slick attorney to pull off a coup like that: assuming all of Union Carbide's profits, 100 percent of its stock shares, and none of the blame.
He also had the audacity to propose that UT students take on the government of Madya Pradesh, the Indian state that controls the Bhopal site. What chance do the students have of taking their case to another nation's government when our own administration won't even listen? Wheeler clearly regards his company's responsibility just as seriously as he does the will of the UT student body - which is to say, not very highly. Passing the buck and denying obvious responsibility are just part of the game of blatant passivity and apathy.
Which brings me back to SG and the opportunity it has tomorrow. Let's be honest: Many students feel that the mandate that SG has to represent the student body's interests is inconsequential. That being said, it's unfair to accuse SG of negligence and overall uselessness in this case simply because they failed to pass student-supported AR21. But it isn't out of the question to loudly request that SG makes every effort to avoid making the same mistake twice.
When we talk about responsibility, we're talking about the commitment to do right by the people you represent. The chance to say that the $4.4 million that Dow has donated to UT - barely 1 percent of all the corporate donations UT has received over roughly the past 50 years - can be obviated for the sake of representing a humanitarian opinion held by many students seems to be a pretty good one to take.
There's no doubt that Dow's financial blessings help keep this school at a world-class level by creating new jobs and research opportunities. But it's been made quite clear that this resolution seeks in no way to harm the quality of education offered here, nor does is even begin to suggest that the University should cut off all its ties with Dow. It's a matter of sending the right message when you have the right forum to do so. It's about making a formal endorsement of the collective student voice by asking Dow to respond.
For now, we have an opportunity to express a well-reasoned and popular opinion to the University's administration and to do something resembling real good. Make sure it happens, Student Government.
Mahanta is a Plan II/English senior.
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