SGA senators scored one for double speak Monday night.

Senators voted 29-2-4 to recommend an increase to the student athletic fee of 50 cents per credit hour beginning in the fall of 2007 to help pay for reinstating the men’s soccer team.

But not before many of them first voiced displeasure with raising said fee.

The same senators who voiced displeasure with increasing the athletic fee later voted to increase it.

It would seem our esteemed elected representatives want to play both sides of the issue. They want to have their say and have their way too.

Senior class Sen. Roby Butler said during the meeting, “I’m not sure if I’m prepared to make that decision [to raise student fees]for all the students.”

Butler then voted to raise the fee for all students.

Junior class Sen. Katie Boger said, “It shouldn’t be UCA students who carry this [cost]on their shoulders.”

Boger then voted to put the cost of the men’s soccer team on all the students’ shoulders.

What gives, SGA?

Can’t have your cake and eat it, too, so you’re going to voice one position while your actions take another?

Apparently, the new SGA solution to problems that arise is to just throw money at them in the hopes they go away.

Senators, we didn’t elect you to throw the students’ money at your solutions.

Students elected senators to hold the administration accountable for any actions toward the student body deemed unacceptable in the eyes of the students.

But so far, the most unacceptable behavior has been SGA’s.

Instead of sticking to their guns, SGA opted to take the easy way out and force a fee increase on all students.

Truly concerned senators would have demanded explanations and actions for unacceptable behavior from the UCA administration.

Instead, you simply told them, “OK, we’ll just make the students pay for your decision.”

This isn’t about whether what the athletic department did was right or wrong; this is about SGA’s playing both sides of the issue.

I’m sure when many SGA members run for re-election next year, they’ll go on and on about how they rallied against the UCA administration and forced the reinstatement of the men’s soccer team.

But how many will also mention they had to increase the cost of tuition to do so? How many will add they made all students pay an additional $7.50 for 15 credit hours per semester?

Senator at large Fitsum Tilahun said it best when he said other SGA members were “flip-flopping” on the issue.

SGA took a platform of no student fee increases for the school year but then chose to disregard it when it suits SGA’s agenda.

But thanks to all this, we know what to expect out of SGA for the next five months.

We now know that any platform taken by senators is subject to change depending on which agenda they want to support that week.

At least we’ll know to expect the unexpected.