I never dreamt I would say it, but I guess I just gave ASUNM too much credit.
A Senate candidate told a Daily Lobo reporter Wednesday that all nine members of the Connection slate stole at least 2,000 copies of the Daily Lobo, stuffed the newspapers with their election fliers and placed them in boxes for regular distribution. The candidate went on to say that they did not violate any rules. To top it all off, the ASUNM vice president said he did the same thing when he was running for office.
The Daily Lobo was forced to run 2,000 additional copies of the newspaper to replace those that were stolen at a cost of $225 and could potentially lose at least $625 in advertising revenue.
The reprehensible, foolish action could brushed off as merely a prank, but it raises more serious questions when theft is widespread and accepted as general practice among student government leaders.
At Ohio State University, student government leaders who stole about 10,000 copies of the student newspaper, The Lantern, were forced to resign and pay $3,200 in lost advertising revenue. They also served up to 20 hours of community service, which included painting The Lantern's newsroom.
With that in mind, it is my sincerest hope that this matter is treated seriously and that campus police and the Elections Commission take swift action. The Daily Lobo must be allowed to recover financial loses and, more important, the campus should hold those affiliated with ASUNM to a higher standard of conduct than they clearly are accustomed to.
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To make matters worse, the Connection slate swept Wednesday's election. The same people who stole 2,000 copies of the Daily Lobo, inserted their campaign material in the newspapers and acted as though nothing was wrong do not deserve to represent students.
If nothing else, it seems appropriate that those involved in Wednesday's theft apologize and craft a policy ensuring that such action is not acceptable and won't happen again. Otherwise, we are left in a situation where the newspaper staff has no control over what it distributes.
Iliana Lim¢n
Editor in chief
