NatUP Blog

Jason Smathers is live blogging at ASM Watch. I'll post my thoughts here as well.

Suits vs. Students

Your very own Peter Rickman (TAA co-President).

Initial thoughts:
NatUP: they're wearing suits; professional SWEET TALKERS! Working from paper prepared responses, probably by Rec Sports employees. Perhaps this is because NNSF wanted to make the process transparent and made the questions they wanted to ask available on their website before hand.
No New Seg Fees: they're students! Very presentable, working as a team, and have a friendly sounding presentation. Working together, in unison, doing a hell of a job speaking off the cuff.

Disclaimer: this will be biased, just saying; Introduction.
NatUP: we need the facility no matter how much students have to pay.
No New Seg Fees: this is setting precedent and we need to stop the slippery slope of building construction. The NatUP campaign is coercing students into voting and they have a much larger reach than any student group on campus.

Dealing with lack of space:

NatUP: organizations are being forced out of spaces and there needs to be more space. Indoor turf! Yes let's allow winter activities and organizations to practice inside.

No New Seg Fees: it's not necessarily about lack of space because it's about priorities. Are we going to say that we care more about working on recreational facilities in times of economic hardship and not working to better education.

Are we missing something in the educational setting?

NatUP: it doesn't matter that furloughs happened because that's a HR and state issue you shouldn't bring this to the debate. We're putting this to vote to the student body.

No New Seg Fees: already under 20% state funding (this is messed up by the way, we're not a public institution anymore folks). We are here to discuss faculty furloughs and lower class sizes because it's about trading off between a burrito and a ring. Not that NatUP is a ring; more a boxing ring. Oh and they're getting $30,000 from Rec Sports; not very democratic. 


Is it our responsibility to ensure that new facilities are available?

NatUP: we've been working hard to inform students with out bias. It's not even that expensive to students?

No New Seg Fees: yes it is, but it's irresponsible to add more money to our segregated fees. Students should have been given private donors with the money first. She's making it seem like it's NatUP v. Students and it's completely correct (Get IT! Jasmine). Where do the increases start?


Will this stop students from coming due to financial hardship?

NatUP: absolutely not. Oh by the way the Nat is a "dungeon", that's what "students" said.

No New Seg Fees: absolutely. $100 goes a long way, "tell me you all wouldn't want a hundred dollars". This is compromising education; de-facto privatization of education. 


Should the votes of a few thousand determine the hike in segregated fees?

NatUP: we want to see people come out and vote (duh because you're misleading them!). It's a pure democratic process (italics denote my dripping sarcasm).

No New Seg Fees: accepts Ben's apology for cutting them off. What great people (yeah so I am very very very biased, so what)! Democracy doesn't consist of a simple yes, no. Democracy is deliberation and educating them about a vote that may be predetermined. The entire student population should be voting. The broadest discussion as all possible should be involved.

Unfortunately I'll be leaving early. Peace out everyone!