Apparently everyone is entitled to their opinion until it becomes an unpopular opinion.
And the recent drama with SG leaders only further proves that differing opinions have little respect on college campuses.
USF Student President Cesar Esmeraldi I posted a video The announcement was made on April 9th on his and SG’s official Instagram pages. The post encouraged senators to vote no.Visualization of USF investments and divestitures” The resolution calls for USF to divest from companies that support Israel and make its investment portfolio public.
The very next day, USF Student Body Vice President Elizabeth Vollmy I posted a video On SG’s account and her own account. She robotically criticized Esmeraldi for inappropriately posting a video on SG’s page.
Although Mr. Esmeraldi has not consulted SGs at other campuses, postEsmeraldi should voice his opinion on SG Instagram.
SG has the right to express their opinions, but the backlash they receive will only lead to political division on campus. Students should respect the existence of other opinions and avoid contributing to polarization in higher education.
Related: Dear pro-Palestinian students, you cannot stop the children of Gaza from starving by starving yourself.
The job of SG is to advocate on behalf of the student body, and Esmeraldi did just that.
The resolution narrowly passed with 16 votes in favor and 15 votes against, indicating that the student council president’s opinion reflected the opinion of half of the student body.
However, Esmeraldi’s post quickly sparked a firestorm of criticism, with comments criticizing it for not representing the student body, being unprofessional, and “excessive executive power.”
Volmy’s post drew comments about whether SG intended to remove Esmeraldi’s video.
Despite the backlash, Esmeraldi has the right to speak his mind, especially when the views he represents are being silenced in the midst of pro-Palestinian sentiment. protests.
Esmeraldi has the right to her opinion, but she doesn’t respect Elizabeth’s opinion.
When the SG leaders met, oracle During the final round-up interview at the end of the semester, Esmeraldi was interviewed individually, asking for a childish separation.
“We’re very happy with everything we’ve built,” Esmeraldi said. “But because of recent events, I’m really restless, so I thought it would be best to do it separately.”
Volmy, on the other hand, believed that the two should have united despite their differences.
“I feel like we’re both grown up,” Volmy said. “I can stay in the room with him.”
Higher education is the most common; America’s politically polarized institutionsthe SG department only adds fuel to the fire.
SG should be able to share their opinions, but it’s especially hypocritical that Esmeraldi publicly declares his opinions while not respecting Volmy’s opinions privately by refusing to be interviewed with him.
If SG leaders can’t even get together in the same room and have a civil conversation, how can they be representative of an already divided college campus?
And if students dislike SG for their beliefs, how can higher education become a place where different opinions can be discussed and expressed?
USF SG members should be able to share their opinions, but we must first respect each other’s beliefs. The current division between SG representatives and the student body only contributes to political polarization on college campuses.
Students need to learn how to respect that others have different opinions. SG should be a great example of this.
