In response to “ASUA, GPSC members at odds following proposal confusion” (published Oct. 3 by Brittny Mejia):

The Graduate and Professional Student Council serves an essential purpose on campus in representing needs and concerns often faced by graduate students, like child care or teaching assistant benefits. But its proposal to change the bylaws of the undergraduate student government might be the most unnecessary issue it pursues all semester.

According to the statement released by GPSC, the proposal includes the following addition to the bylaws of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona: “ASUA is the exclusive representative student government for the undergraduate students at the University of Arizona. The Graduate and Professional Student Council, hereinafter known as “GPSC,” is the exclusive representative student government for the graduate and professional students of the University of Arizona.”

What, exactly, would such an addition accomplish for either the graduate or undergraduate populations? The only group who might benefit would be members of GPSC itself, who are apparently sensitive about marking their territory.

Speaking of territory, GPSC President Zachary Brooks’ disappointment after his presentation to the ASUA Senate, saying that the senate “made their decision” (without any vote at all, or even an official proposal on the table) is especially confusing. After all, the bylaws he’s seeking to change spell out a specific procedure for changing those bylaws — one that requires a member of ASUA to officially propose a change to the ASUA bylaws. Kind of like how, in order to officially propose a change GPSC’s bylaws, you have to first be a GPSC representative, officer or staff member.

Given all that hard work GPSC puts in to be the “exclusive representative student government” for graduate students, you would think Brooks would have more to do than shake his fist at ASUA for … using “student” instead of “undergraduate”? Is that really what this is about?

For anyone who bothers to pay attention to student government (undergraduate or graduate), the distinction between the two entities is already clear just by looking at the issues each one tackles. Or, you know, might be tackling if they weren’t throwing temper tantrums about who is standing on whose lawn.

— Kristina Bui, UA alumna and former Daily Wildcat editor