PUMP NOT PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL

At the Feb. 23 UISG presidential debate, Barry Pump implied that the
Thompto-Wicklund ticket would lose credibility with the Iowa City City
Council because the two had worked with Students for Sensible Drug Policy
to determine the effectiveness of the UI's drug policies.

It's not surprising that Pump can't understand the difference between
arbitrarily supporting something and putting effort into researching an
issue that students care about. When drug-policy group members submitted a
resolution to the Student Assembly, they sent e-mails to Pump asking for
feedback on what he felt was wrong with it. Pump didn't bother to respond
to any of the numerous attempts to contact him. He then made it clear from
his assembly-meeting comments that he was clueless about the program the
drug-policy group was trying to institute. He made no effort to look into
the issue on his own and embarrassed himself at the meeting because he was
unprepared.

UISG President Lindsay Schutte and Vice President Jason Shore both worked
diligently with the drug-policy group to look into this issue, as did Ryan
Thompto, but the City Council didn't seem to care. Despite what Pump
implied, Thompto didn't blindly support the drug-policy group. He was
skeptical, took time out of his busy schedule to meet with UI
administrators about the issue, he weighed the facts, and made a decision
about what stance to take. Other senators who didn't support the resolution
contacted us and told us their reasons. Pump couldn't even do his job and
answer an e-mail. What a laugh.

This seems to be a trend with Pump. He can't even meet his current
responsibilities as University Collegiate Senate executive. How is he going
to meet the responsibilities of the UISG president? Pump isn't leadership
material. Pump is a joke.

George Pappas

President, UI Students for Sensible Drug Policy