Calls from UA office irk students

It's not much ado about nothing. So goes the consensus of student response on the issue of Undergraduate Assembly and Nominations and Elections Committee members using their office telephone for personal or non-official calls. From September to November 1992, bills for the lines added up to $423, of which over $172 was spent on long-distance charges. Even though some students said that the amount of money involved was not substantial, they argued that the principle involved is important. "This very particular case isn't really that big a deal," College sophomore Maria Boyazny said. "But it is important because it shows that maybe these people are irresponsible, or that we cannot trust them." "And whether we trust them or not does depend on these small facts," Boyazny said. "It really irks me that my tuition dollars are going for someone to call his girlfriend in California," Wharton junior Jason Hurwitz said. "There's an abuse of power and responsibility going on." "It pisses me off, actually," Engineering senior Billy Goldstein said. "I think it's important, and I don't think they should take advantage of their positions." Some students empathized with the UA members, drawing a parallel to their own job experiences. "I know if I'm at work, I use the phone," Nursing freshman Nechelle Feister said. But other students said the the issue is more personally relevant because the money comes from their own tuition dollars. "We've all worked in offices and have done stuff like this," College junior Andrew Epstein said. "But looking at them doing it with our money is a little annoying." "Things should be done to prevent it -- they're elected officials," Epstein added. "Being an elected body, they should be kept from doing that kind of thing," College senior Antoine Jones said. "Even though it's like the thing to do, it's pretty bad that they're doing it." Some students said they feel quite strongly that the ethics involved make the issue an important one. "It's incredibly disgusting," Wharton junior Aaron Bachik said. "The fact that after the first article in the DP, there was denial and they tried to blame it on anyone they could and avoid it -- it's really pathetic." "I applaud the fact that the DP is covering it," Bachik added. "I'm glad that it's keeping the issue alive." College senior Mandi Jones said that although she felt the UA members should be held individually rather than collectively responsible, the phone calls should not be ignored. "I don't think they should be doing it -- it's a form of stealing," Jones said. "People shouldn't desensitize themselves to it just because it's around a lot." But College freshman Niki McNeil said she has "better things to concentrate on" than the UA's phone calls. A few students expressed cynicism about the entire issue, saying that all bureaucracies are riddled with problems. "I think the University itself wastes enough funding," College junior Ernie Podrasky said. "If students extort some money for themselves, at least we know it's going to students." And Wharton junior David Williams said that "the whole thing is stupid." "With as much as the University is probably spending on personal calls, why can't kids do it, too?" Williams asked rhetorically. "You've got to crack down on everyone -- otherwise, the whole thing is very hypocritical."