The Machine, or Theta Nu Epsilon, is an organization of white sororities and fraternities that use collaborative efforts to elect SGA representatives and homecoming queens.
There are people that question why the Machine is a negative thing; after all, it is just a highly organized and efficient voting block from the greek system. However, the Machine is not like a political party because it tries to deny its existence and uses coercive tactics in order to get votes in elections. The Machine uses threats within the greek community to get voters to turn out in support of their candidates and uses bribes in the independent community to solicit votes.
The use of stickers and chalking have in the past been cheap, easy and effective means to obtain name recognition and the new campaign rules that ban these practices only further silence the whispers of the independent community, making it harder for them to gain the name recognition needed to win elections.
The Machine does not, as the Capstone Creed suggests each UA student should, “act with fairness, honesty and respect.” In fact, it does the opposite of that. We saw this on Monday, when our SGA President-elect Grant Cochran refused to answer yes or no concerning his support from the Machine, which is contrary to his promise of more transparency. Honesty and respect for the student body is something that we should value in a SGA presidential candidate.
What Grant Cochran overlooked in his refusal to simply say yes is the same thing that former SGA President Mary Margaret Carroll encountered in her presidency. The Birmingham News reported in 2006, “Entering office, [Carroll] helped organize a task force on renovations to historic Foster Auditorium, the site of Gov. George Wallace’s stand in the schoolhouse door protesting integration of the school. Carroll said she felt the diverse task force was unified and enthusiastic about renovation plans but, as time went on, detractors criticized the effort because of the SGA’s involvement. Throughout the year, Carroll observed how the SGA was distrusted because it was viewed as an extension of the Machine.”
This is going to be an obstacle Cochran will deal with for the rest of his presidency, as he faces obstacles in the same way Carroll did when she was promoting the renovation of Foster Auditorium. His lack of regard for honesty and transparency is already weighing on the minds of the student body.
But as Wesley Vaughn pointed out yesterday, the SGA President is not the end-all indicator of progress on campus, because progress has been made since Mary Margaret Carroll was SGA President. The emergence of Greeks T.I.D.E and the Progressive Potluck are huge strides in the right direction. Both promote openness and progress in campus politics, be that within the SGA or just dialogue with trustees and administrators.
This campus could benefit greatly from a transformational SGA President and a renewed trust within the students’ own governing body, but that in and of itself is not the only thing that will benefit the student body. Student initiatives from all corners of campus have been working to create a more positive climate by tearing down the oppressive walls that have been put up by the Machine.
What is specifically unique about all the progress that has been made is that it lies mostly with the student body, and that is something that students past, present, and future should be proud of. However, it is time that administrators recognize this shift in interest and work openly with students to support their efforts. For this to happen, the UA administration needs to openly recognize the existence of the Machine, because the first step in fixing a problem is admitting that we have one.
Michael Patrick is a junior majoring in political science. His column runs biweekly on Thursdays.
