Wednesday night the Student Association’s Internal Affairs Committee met to decide the fate of SCOPA.

Some members of the IAC wanted to eliminate the Student Committee On Political Action entirely, but it appears that will not happen. Now it looks as if the IAC could change SA bylaws to do the following: Get senate approval of SCOPA chairmen; use a roll call vote of all issues under SCOPA consideration; give SA presidential veto power over SCOPA approved actions, with SCOPA having the power to overrule the veto; set a limit on voting SCOPA members; and establish the senate speaker as an ex-officio SCOPA voting member.

While it is understandable the SA is concerned about the powers of SCOPA, the IAC might be looking at the situation from the wrong angle. Instead of discussing what powers should be given to SCOPA, the IAC should consider changing the group’s purpose.

As its name implies, SCOPA has historically been an activist group that acts in the name of the SA and the student body. However, SCOPA might serve the students better if it became a non-partisan group.

SCOPA could be just as effective if it did not take sides when a political issue arises. If the group, instead, did everything it could to inform students on the important issues on campus and stimulated thought about those issues, the students could decide for themselves whether to act.

This is not to say that SCOPA members should not be activists. All students, including SCOPA members, have the right to take action on issues they believe are important. However, one must remember that SCOPA represents the SA which represents students. If students do not agree with the action SCOPA takes, they should not have to be identified with the group.

To solve this, the SA could mold SCOPA into an informative group that sponsors debates, speeches and other public forums so students can learn about issues and act on their own.

If the members of SCOPA want to be activists, they can. However, it should not be done in the name of the entire student body because not all students agree with the views or the actions of the group.

It is not the SCOPA members which are in question, but rather if the group, in its present form, represents the students. After all, students should not have to be identified with a group whose actions they don’t agree with.