Say no to stipends

Students will see a number of items on which to vote today, including choices for Homecoming representatives, special Student Congress elections and options for the senior class gift.

There is also the issue of stipends for the speaker and speaker pro tempore of Student Congress. The Student Constitution holds that no member of Congress shall receive a salary - and it should stay that way.

If passed, today's ballot referendum would change the Constitution to read: "No Student Congress member, except the speaker and speaker pro tempore, shall be entitled to monetary compensation."

Students will be prompted to show their support for or opposition to the proposed alteration.

They should vote against it.

The two Congress positions should not receive stipends. Students who aspire to either of these posts shouldn't be motivated by money in any way.

Instead, they should be compelled primarily by a desire to serve the student body. They should want to earn the experience associated with serving in these positions. Their willingness to represent students and their interest in improving campus life should be the only driving forces. Changing the Constitution to allow for stipends would only complicate things.

There's no doubt that Congress' speaker and speaker pro tem have a number of duties defined in the Student Code and that they surely must work hard to fulfill those responsibilities.

But other Congress members also do a lot of work.

Meanwhile, there are many leaders of other campus groups who contribute their talents to preserving and improving the well-being of the community without being paid for it.

Where should the line be drawn?

It would be better not to introduce any kind of slippery slope. Just because the two officers have been receiving stipend checks - despite the presence of language that effectively disallows it in the Constitution - doesn't mean that the practice should continue.

With the click of a mouse, students should make this the case.

The positions themselves should be rewarding enough.