By Timothy Fanning
Student Body President Daniel “Kaeden” Kelso and Ysatis Jordan, the student body vice president, cannot assure their constituents that the 2019-2020 student fee budget was not written or approved out of malice or malcontent.
That’s because Kelso and Jordan refuse to answer to questions and concerns about how they allowed a disgruntled former Crow’s Nest staff member-turned-SG deputy chief of staff make suggestions about the newspaper’s budget.
This came after nearly a week of excuses and ignored emails. Kelso and Jordan still won’t give me a reason why.
Jordan said speaking to me on the phone was “out of (her) comfort zone.” She then went silent after I emailed the questions. The only other time I heard from Jordan was when she “demanded” that I not tag her on Facebook.
Jeffrey Waitkevich, the disgruntled former news editor, has also refused to elaborate on his role in the budget process.
Instead, he took to Facebook to, in so many words, brag about his accomplishments this year. Among them, being written about last week. Kelso shared Waitkevich’s post to USFSP’s Know It All Guide To Knowing It All. Kelso hasn’t publicly said anything else.
I’ve lodged a formal complaint with Dwayne Isaacs, director of Student Life and Engagement. Isaacs said there is nothing he can do.
“There is not much I can do on my end in getting the Student Government leaders … to speak with you about your concerns on the budget process,” Isaacs wrote in an email. “I can only advise the students to take your questions, but it is up to them on whether or not they choose to speak with you.”
If our elected leaders’ actions are any indication to how they would manage issues in public office later in their careers, we should be clear of one thing: They are not fit to serve the will of the people.
Daniel “Kaeden” Kelso and Ysatis Jordan are names that will go on my refrigerator door and with me to the voting booth, if they seek a higher office.
This childish behavior is not cute, a friend said recently. I agree.
I demand now, in this public space, that someone give me an explanation. Here are my questions.
- Specifically, what was Waitkevich’s role in the budget making process?
- What were his recommendations, were they taken into consideration?
- Waitkevich was bitter and angry after leaving the Crow’s Nest. We you aware of his conflict of interest? If so, what was done to mitigate those concerns?
- The Crow’s Nest staff tell me that student government officials relied heavily on his recommendations. Is that true? Why or why not?
- It was also mentioned that the executive branch forewent meetings with Crow’s Nest staff. There is also anecdotal evidence to support that other organizations were also not notified. What is your response to this?
- Does this administration hold a grudge against student reporters or those with connection to the newspaper? Why or why not?
- Kelso and his administration’s increasing lack of transparency and accessibility is alarming. Is this treatment reserved only for students associated with writing for The Crow’s Nest?
- Help me better understand Kelso, Jordan and Waitkevich’s reservations about speaking to me.
- The executive branch threatened to freeze the newspaper’s funding because it did not file the proper paperwork — a requirement that four former top editors tell me wasn’t necessary during their tenure — a requirement that no student body president has done in recent memory.
I find the timing of this incredibly suspect, given recent events. Is my intuition right or wrong? Why or why not?
- Student government has haphazardly treated the budget process in the past. It’s often marked by grudges, secrecy and confusion. What do you say to assure the student body that this budget proposal was not written out of malice or malcontent?
- Budget cuts were necessary. We all know this. However, student government has taken no hits. In the past, SG members have made cuts to itself. If money was tight, why didn’t elected officials take the plunge, like everyone else?
Tim Fanning was managing editor of The Crow’s Nest in fall 2017.
Header photo courtesy of Jonah Hinebaugh
