Letters to the editor
Posted on September 17, 2007

SGA senator ashamed of Eickel

I have never been more embarrassed to be a member of the SGA than I was last Tuesday. I feel the student body was not well served by its representatives in the decisions it made regarding the student body president. We censured Brandon Eickel after he admitted to plagiarizing a large part of his platform last spring. We stated in no uncertain terms that we felt this was a reprehensible act.

Yet when it came time for us to back up that opinion we failed a vote calling for real action. In doing so we have forfeited our right to hold ourselves to those most basic standards put forth in our JMU Honor Code. We stood up and said the university “Plagiarism is wrong, but if you say you’re sorry, then all will be forgiven.” Compromising standards to do what is easy is a slippery slope. How low are we willing to set the bar? What does one now have to do to be considered for impeachment? I would encourage any students who are unhappy with this inaction to contact their representatives in the senate — a full list can be found on the SGA Web site. Ask them to explain to you how and why they voted the way they did. Ultimately it is the student body who elected us, and it is to them that we are ultimately held accountable.

James Reddish
senior, sports management

Eickel deserves some support

I was in SGA for three years and during that time, I worked closely with Brandon Eickel. Though his actions I agree were wrong, Eickel was one of the most active and passionate leaders on behalf of the student body of JMU that I saw in four years. Is this outcry because Eickel stole good ideas from someone else? Yes, Eickel should have given credit where credit was due, but all this controversy surrounding this says something about JMU that most people don’t understand. Where were the calls for the impeachment of the Student Representative to the Board of Visitors (SRBOV) last year when the announced response to the loss of 10 athletic teams became nothing more than a press junket?

I know the sports teams rallied together and the SGA joined in with them but most of the student body remained apathetic and unorganized throughout the process especially with the leadership of last year’s SRBOV. Eickel was the person who went to Washington, D.C. to the Department of Education to try and save our sports. Eickel is the person who has participated in almost every service-oriented organization at JMU to help the student body in whatever way possible. So all these calls for impeachment only say that JMU isn’t capable of only being reactive, with a short-term memory as well. Brandon Eickel has been an outstanding leader for JMU and I say this movement is shameful.

David Lawrence Allen
alum ‘07