I'm writing in response to Victoria Winkler's article about the Student Senate's decision to expunge Sen. Matt Michel's absences, which appeared in the July 17 edition of the Alligator.
As a student senator who voted to approve the Rules and Ethics Committee's recommendation to remove Sen. Michel's absences, I didn't find the rationale behind this decision to be as evident in the article as the opposition's complaints. I feel strongly that the best interests of the student body were served by keeping Sen. Michel in the Student Senate.
As a hardworking senator, Sen. Michel continued serving his constituents while completing a required study abroad program. He interacted with his constituents, advertised open Student Government positions on Listservs and worked on legislation.
While it wasn't considered in his appeal, I'd like to point out that Sen. Michel possesses a spotless attendance record for all Senate meetings prior to his required study abroad trip. The opposition's contention that the Rules and Ethics Committee's decision would create a flawed precedent for future cases is unfounded, as this and all attendance appeals are thoroughly reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
While it was certainly not an ideal situation, Sen. Michel encountered an unavoidable academic commitment yet remained dedicated to his constituents. I am confident that denying his appeal and removing him from the Senate would have been more detrimental to his constituents, the Senate and the student body as a whole than our decision to allow him to retain his seat.
Suzanne Haddock
Gator Party Student Senator, Health and Human Performance
