The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Letter to the Editor: Former vice pres. should remember priorities

In the March 22 issue of The News I read a commentary written by former Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President for Student Affairs George Gottschalk, where he said “OSCCR rules flawed, need tweaking.” He commented about the university’s judicial system and took issue with how the system had ruled against him when he was a senator. He then used that as a platform in running for office in SGA, with an agenda of reforming a system he felt slighted by when it did not work in his favor.

At the time, I wanted to respond to what I read as an extremely bitter agenda against OSCCR through a deceptive commentary to the entire student body that portrayed him falsely as a victim of injustice. Gottschalk’s commentary also included a personal grudge against a judicial hearing board member he claimed he didn’t particularly like. The commentary was a gross abuse of power and voice – using his position to get back at a system that had forced him to resign as a senator. He then used the media to supplement that abuse.

Back then, I figured that even though his commentary was absent of fact and truth, it wouldn’t change the facts behind the truth. But as I read the story about Gottschalk several weeks ago, I couldn’t help but notice Gottschalk’s repeated escapes from responsibility. Did Gottschalk take responsibility for getting himself into a situation that warranted the charges when he was senator?

Did he take responsibility and admit to those charges, or did the judicial board find him responsible? There’s a big difference.

Now there are allegations that he resigned his post as an e-board member to escape the responsibility of telling the student body the truth about yet another disciplinary incident and his sanction. If these allegations prove to be true, Gottschalk has done a severe disservice to the student body, especially the freshman class, who have only been in college for a month and have seen deception, immaturity and scandal by someone who was supposed to be fighting for their cause.

That sort of deception gives hard-working student leaders a really bad name. It is up to Gottschalk to either speak the ultimate truth about his disciplinary issue(s). Gottschalk has been forced to resign from SGA twice because of his behavior and his constant run-ins with OSCCR. Something’s gotta give.

– Landon Hundley graduated from Northeastern in 2006

More to Discover