In “Rights of Man,” Thomas Paine wrote: “A nation under a well-regulated government should permit none to remain uninstructed. It is monarchical and [aristocratic] government only that requires ignorance for its support.”

These words should ring true to any student currently attending Bakersfield College, as our own governing body, the Student Government Association, has repeatedly left its constituents in the dark in recent months.

Toward the end of last semester, five members of the SGA resigned from their positions before their terms were complete, and they failed to give any concrete reasons why they were failing to fulfill their duties to the students of BC.

Dean of students and SGA adviser Joyce Coleman refused to shed light on what had taken place, and failed to respond to the rumors circulating around campus stating, “I am not at liberty to respond to questions as they relate to specific students. This would be a violation of federal, state, district and college laws, guidelines and procedures.”

This isn’t the first time something like this has taken place, and the leadership of the SGA has failed to fill in the blanks.

Back in October 2008, three members of  the SGA were removed from office after they consumed alcohol during the ASGA National Student Government Summit in Washington, D.C.

In an article written in the October 8 issue of the Renegade Rip, then-SGA President Lyne Mugem stated, “there was a violation of the student code of conduct and, as such, necessary measures were taken.”

That was all the information provided on the subject.

In a country where government is meant to serve the people, elected officials should be more open to the people that they serve, and if they aren’t, that implies that they are trying to hide something that would substantially harm their reputation.

Transparency in government should always be of the utmost importance in any free and open society, and our student governing body has failed to achieve any such thing.

These students are paid with the money that the rest of the student body pumps into the school, and yet, when they resign from a position we pay them to hold, we get no answers to why they did so.

It must be understood that these students are, well, students, and commendations should go to Coleman for protecting them.

The SGA has also done great things like the food pantry, and they have been known to spend their money on the occasional worthwhile endeavor.

Nonetheless, we have a right to know what goes on with our elected officials, and anyone thinking otherwise is flat out wrong.

When those students are on  SGA events, and when they are carrying out SGA duties, they are our employees, and they should be treated as such.

Our government was built on openness, and if our student government can’t achieve such a small thing, they shouldn’t be treated like a real government body, and they shouldn’t be given income that is generated by the students that they govern.

We ask the SGA to come forth and quit trying to leave us ignorant to the actions of our elected officials.

Water under the bridge is water over the dam, but looking forward, let us hope that the SGA will be more willing to open up to its students so that we can know that we can trust the men and women that are in that association, and that we can trust that they will do the right thing when presented the chance.

It is hard to support an organization that you know so little about, and until they practice true transparency with their constituents, it is unlikely they will ever get the turnout they want for elections, homecoming and other SGA events.

Only when they have true transparency will they earn the respect among the student body and gain the student participation that they try to gain every semester.