On Tuesday, the Student Association (SA) Congress will discuss an important piece of legislation that would have the SA support Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), and it will deeply impact students on both sides of this issue. With a resolution that has the potential for such deep and resounding change, significant time is required to review it and its potential effects on the student body. But, the SA Congress seems currently distracted with both legitimate accusations of misconduct and messy internal disputes that make it hard to accomplish the business that the student body needs.

There have been a number of serious public issues expressed to Pipe Dream, or that we have observed over the course of the past month. A recent guest column written by John Ferrara called attention to a private recording in which a member of the Elections & Judiciary Committee warned others about Ferrara’s potential question at the SA candidate debate and encouraged them not to call on him.

There have also been countless comments under Pipe Dream Instagram posts where figures inside and outside the SA have argued in an unprofessional manner, as well as a number of printed posters attacking certain Congress members — though it is unclear who is responsible for placing them around campus.

Pipe Dream has received multiple whistleblower reports and experienced a rotating door of SA Congress representatives equipped with audio recordings attempting to incriminate their peers. Though we have not yet determined the validity of the claims in these reports, the content appears far less serious than the publicly available concerns.

What these private instances have shown Pipe Dream is the unfortunate reality that many representatives seem more eager to spend time combing through management policies they believe others have violated, rather than focusing on deeply important legislation and its impacts.

Serious accusations demand serious consideration and what has been made publicly available deserves investigations of their own. At the same time, petty arguments and interpersonal matters centered around attacking each other’s character and taking each other down only serves to erase any faith the student body may have in legislation being considered seriously.

Tuesday’s Congress is likely the most important meeting this year, not only for Congress, but for the numerous student activists and organizations across this campus. This meeting will require respect and maturity, but, based on their established pattern, the Editorial Board currently does not believe the SA Congress can do so appropriately and adequately. We hope efforts to keep this meeting professional and productive can prove us wrong.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings.