During the six years I have been on this campus, the Student Government Association has come to resemble, in my mind, a predator that wounds prey and then allows its young to finish that prey off. The SGA is an opportunity for would-be politicos to rehearse the skills of skulduggery, backdoor dealing and embezzlement that they will need to be successful in the adult world of dirty politics. The stakes are low, but the opportunities, as they say, are priceless.

This is not to say that all SGA officials are corrupt. I have taught more than a few who had an honest head on their shoulders. And some people may argue that a few thousand dollars “appropriated” for a trip or a few e-mails requiring members of a sorority to vote a certain way is no big deal. But by suffering these violations to pass, the University sends the message that ethics, integrity and personal responsibility are not valued at this school.

To remedy this hypocrisy, the university ought to do one of the following: prosecute ethics violations; disband the SGA; or eliminate from its own code of conduct the statement that “students must practice personal integrity.”

Carl Peterson is an instructor of English.