EDITORIAL: "Rock the Boat"

As student governmentAs student governmenthead, Jeff Lichtman hasAs student governmenthead, Jeff Lichtman hasbuilt bridges with theAs student governmenthead, Jeff Lichtman hasbuilt bridges with theadministration. Now it'sAs student governmenthead, Jeff Lichtman hasbuilt bridges with theadministration. Now it'stime to cross them.As student governmenthead, Jeff Lichtman hasbuilt bridges with theadministration. Now it'stime to cross them.__________________________ Plagued by inexperience and a cold shoulder from the outgoing board, last year's UA -- of which Lichtman was the treasurer -- lacked focus, organization, and a clear agenda. Now as the head of the UA, Lichtman - with the help of a large crop of rookie members whose loyalties lie only with their chairperson - has appeared to have solved the UA's internal problems, and from this new-found strength, built the obligatory bridges with administration officials. Lichtman has used these alliances, and those with other student leaders, to tackle some of the University's ills. But does bicycle registration, increased contact among other student leaders, and benign resolutions begin to aptly address the breadth of undergraduate concerns? Hardly. As the "King of Compromise," Lichtman is in danger of compromising the loud voice that 10,000 undergraduates could have. Sure, he blasted the University for excluding students from the Escort committee, but his passion has seemed to be as reliable as an Escort van -- hard to come by and usually late. Students are concerned about a dwindling social life, high crime, and shoddy teaching. Granted, healthy relationships with the administration are necessary to accomplish anything in the Penn bureaucracy. But, we do not have the time to wait for a committee to finish a study, submit a recommendation to the administration who will then form a task force to further study the issue in order to make a report to the President who will? You get the point. We're only here four years, and officials have the time to wait for the rabble-rousers to leave. As Lichtman reaches the mid-year point of his administration, he should realize that true leadership means sticking one's neck out for your constituency, not pandering to different administrators. UA veteran You-Lee Kim described Lichtman as a guy who does not "like to rock the boat." We think it's time he did.