Dear Editor,
I don’t normally publicly comment on any of SFUO’s actions, decisions, or activities. However, upon receiving a disheartening email today, I felt the need to at least say my two cents.
Earlier today, the SFUO clubs received an open email which stated: “After much consideration and financial consultation, the executive committee of the SFUO has reached the conclusion that we are unable to offer subsidies this year due to the cash flow shortage and financial situation currently facing the Federation.”
With saddened heart, I could not help myself but reflect on my SFUO clubs experience. For well over six years, I have been actively involved as an executive of one of the clubs on campus. And in the past six years of my experience with the SFUO clubs, I can honestly say that I have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly.
And while it is true that the there have been some better times (now long, long gone), the memories come back way too quickly to the bad or the ugly; and in my situation, there have been plenty. But I won’t get into that.
It is rather shameful, however, that the SFUO clubs website contains registration dates for the Fall 2014 semester, and even worse, training sessions from the 2009-2010 academic year. And if you’re looking for the Clubs Manual… well that’s nonexistent—and has been for a number of years now. Yet we, the people of the clubs, learned to thrive in this environment with limited information, hostile or nonexistent communication with the SFUO, and little to no support.
I do not wish to target you personally, my dear current SFUO executive. While I’m fully aware that the issues presented here, and which lead to the actions presented in (this) email are far more complicated and date back well before your time, I still cannot help but wonder if something could have been done. Yet for years, the clubs have been left out in the dark on any issue concerning, well, us.
We were never asked for our opinion, our advice, or our support—except, well, when campaigning for our votes of course. And for years, the lines of the communication between the clubs and the SFUO have been kept tightly shut. Unless you know the right people, that is.
Thus, here we are. Once again left in the dark, and this time also without any funds.
Today, and for the first time ever, I truly felt that the SFUO Does Not Represent Me.
—Ina Lazarescu
