Thank you, Mike Zeig.

The Sterling Heights senior and Student Government Association President has came to the SGA’s rescue.

The SGA House and Senate need to take a minute or two and really consider what they should have considered last week – the merit of the resolution they approved supporting the administration and Pam Gates, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, in an Oct. 15 incident between her and Topinabee junior Dennis Lennox II.

Zeig vetoed the resolution on the basis that there was no factual information that lead to the resolution.

It was a good catch by Zeig, although really a no-brainer.

SGA is known for pushing legislation that it has no business approving. Had Zeig signed this, it would have brought embarrassment to the SGA.

The resolution should not have gotten to Zeig’s desk in the first place.

On what basis did the House and Senate approve the bill?

Chances are many of the legislators, if not all of them, were not present at the time of the incident between Gates and Lennox. They don’t know what happened other than what each side is saying.

In addition, the university investigated the situation, but never put their support in Gates’ favor. Instead the university said Gates did no wrong.

Thus nothing gave the legislators a solid reason to approve the resolution.

So the real question is why did both the House and Senate approve it?

SGA represents the student body and students are concerned about the situation, however the SGA isn’t the place to make decisions about the incident.

As Zeig said in his reasoning for the veto, “The SGA is not the place to determine right and wrong in specific university conflicts.”

The House and Senate formed an opinion and took action before gathering all the information on the issue.

If Zeig wasn’t there to watch over the House and Senate’s back, who knows what kind of situation the SGA could have gotten itself into.

Because remember, this is the same type of thing that happened last semester, when the Senate deemed Young Americans for Freedom a hate group. The basis of their decision was a series of anti-gay chalkings that some senators claimed were done by YAF.

And what lacked last semester still lacks this semester – proof.

SGA can’t be making decisions on issues it doesn’t have all the information about.

Despite Zeig’s ruling, the House and Senate can re-vote on the resolution and override the veto.

Let’s hope both the House and Senate drop the issue until more progress is made in the incident.

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