Butler's lack of responsibility is only reason for SGA's woes

During Wednesday's Executive Forum, Darwin Butler, Student Government Association president, said an article in the Sept. 7 issue of The Current was the reason he lost his off-campus job. He later said the article was not relevant to the situation and tried to tug on the student's emotional heart-strings by saying the job was to support his kids.

Such a statement from Butler should not come as a surprise. His answers during the Executive Forum's question-and-answer session show a pattern of blaming others for his mistakes.

The Current wasn't the only one blamed for Butler's troubles. He blamed two SGA secretaries for the cancellation of the "President's Initiative" earlier this month, and he blamed the administration on "Court TV" for having a conspiracy to oust him as president.

Butler is blaming everyone except the one person most responsible for SGA's recent troubles--himself. If one looks past Butler's accusations, one can clearly see that Butler himself is the cause of all his recent problems.

The Current's article was relevant because of its timeliness. Butler's felony conviction occurred the same day the votes were counted making him the student-body president. And if the job he lost was to support his kids, then why just 15 minutes earlier in the Executive Forum was Butler bragging about having a chauffeur to drive him around in his Jaguar? It doesn't add up.

If Butler didn't want to be this highly scrutinized, he shouldn't have made himself a public figure by becoming SGA president. And if he wanted to become SGA president so badly, he should not have chosen to commit a felony.

Blaming his secretaries for the "President's Initiative" cancellation also shows a lack of responsibility from Butler. As SGA president, everything that comes and goes from that office stops with him. It is ultimately his responsibility. Is Butler's blaming of his secretaries just a bad choice in delegation of authority, or a cover for Butler's overall lack of institutional control of the SGA office? Either way, Butler should stand up and take responsibility.

Butler's accusations about an administrative conspiracy against him can be neither proven nor denied. Butler has said in public that he will cause some controversy, however when you do that, you need to be prepared to not be the most popular guy on campus with the administration.

It is time for Butler to stand up and take responsibility for his own actions. He is the highest elected representative of the student body, and if he can't take responsibility for himself, then how can we, as students, respect him as our leader?