Political officials have long been plagued with such words as "liars," "cheaters" and "scandals." There are often so-called rumors of deceit, tales of betrayal and the occasional sexual rendezvous. Yet, rarely are tales of honesty, dignity and integrity heard.
Ask any celebrity: It is the price of being in the public eye, regardless of leadership qualifications. People watch, people track and people remember.
In the world of politics, the more important thing to remember is that people vote.
Many of these celebrities, political or not, choose to deny, cheat and manipulate their way out of the negative spotlight. Sometimes it destroys their image or integrity, other times it digs deeper. When it comes to political representation, much larger things can be on the line.
The few, the proud and those who whole-heartedly stick up for the right way choose not to dodge the questions and rumors. These select individuals go out and nip things in the bud.
That's just what SGA President Ben Tietz did.
When Tietz asked then-vice president Olufunmbi Elemo to resign earlier this month, he made a critical change that affected not only his administration, but the students it was elected to serve, as well. Both Tietz and Elemo realize this now, but it is notable and furthermore applaudable for Tietz to have realized it then.
Tietz said that it was the only way he knew to keep the administration moving in a forward direction, and he is certainly correct about that. Although many students may have forgotten the event that called for the resignation, it still does not change the records which state it happened. Nor does it erase the the community service hours which Elemo must serve, or the admittance of guilt which she signed.
Said evidence, though argued to the day, would haunt Tietz and his administration through the school year. Tietz evidently knew that starting the year out on a such a note would spell disaster for his term, or at the very least taint it.
Team Tietz may have been scarred from Elemo's citation, but Tietz should be commended for his willingness to push his administration forward, as opposed to sitting around in puddles of doubts and denials.
And it is important for students to realize this by putting the past behind.
After all, the year has just begun.
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