Newspapers have a mission to investigate political entanglements. Journalists have a responsibility to fearlessly cover intriguing stories that the public has a need to know. The Cavalier Daily has done its part in reporting on controversial subjects, and this week’s issue added another one to the pile.
Recently, the paper published an article about the student group DREAMers which applied to gain CIO status from Student Council. The organization, representing undocumented students, was initially denied this by the vote of the legislative body. The main reason was that some representatives within Student Council had “questions as to the organization’s mission and operation” within the University community. Yet pushback by DREAMers, along with other minority student groups on Grounds, prolonged the debate and brought the transparency of the voting process into question. Support of marginalized students on Grounds, they felt, was too important to not do so, and Student Council later approved DREAMers.
However, the controversy deepened when an objectionable response to the initial voting outcome emerged. A Facebook post by Law School representative, in the eyes of DREAMers, dishonorably celebrated the result of the vote, with a triumphant “#conservative” as its exclamation point. The group cited it as an “openly [disrespectful]” gesture, which unfairly let them know in advance of their failure. It additionally obscured, in their argument, what should have been a clearer process of notification, which was instead rife with this particular legislator’s political biases. Because of this, and the apparent “lack of communication” between both parties, the application process is now being re-examined to be better understood in the future.
While these political issues are difficult to wrangle with, I absolutely applaud The Cavalier Daily for covering this one. They provided a well-researched, lengthy story in order to inform readers of what was occurring during the course of the week. In addition, it catalyzed some discussion online, and also in person — I have discussed the article and affair with some individuals this past week. Valuable articles like this one can drive necessary discourse on a variety of platforms, online or in person. But they may also raise questions about our lives here that have gone unacknowledged.
Notably, the dilemma of transparency between groups like Student Council and the greater University communities is perhaps the most interesting takeaway from this story. The legislative body admits the ratification of such bills “isn’t well-understood by most individuals or groups outside of the organization.” How can the average student, then, better do so? Well, it’s up to outlets like The Cavalier Daily to supply that clarity and to help elucidate the processes and doings of these political bodies. Such journalism can serve as a mediating force between the group and the public. Here, though the article doesn’t clarify the legislative process, it still holds it as a vital question. It presents a list of possibilities to solve the conundrum in the future. That, itself, is a step in the same direction.
Furthermore, this piece contains information that complements the course of events well. Details such Reimer’s Facebook post may seem trivial at first. Yet they add value to the article. My predecessor wrote about reporting on the juicier stories at the University and how they would properly attract readers looking for a good story. Here, I concur — though a social media status may seem unnecessary, it can rouse enough attention to reframe the process entirely. There’s just enough controversy and gusto to keep readers, well, reading and (hopefully) discussing.
In all, such exchanges are worth writing about, simply to keep the greater community abreast of the political happenings here. The Cavalier Daily has done that splendidly with this week’s issue. It should continue to do so to keep students discussing the organizations around them at the University.
Sasan Mousavi is the Public Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter at @CDPublicEditor.
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