It all began with trying to show a little pride on behalf of Helser Hall. Residents wanted funding for T-shirts for “Helser Pride Week.” The Union Drive Association Senate refused. Now, students from Helser Hall, located next to Friley Hall, want to pull away from the Union Drive Association altogether.

On the surface, this does just seem to be a matter of pride. No money for T-shirts? Tough luck, Helser. But there’s more to this argument. Helser’s secession would benefit both UDA and Helser residents.

The proposal for funding — a dollar per T-shirt —ÿcame from residents of Helser, but the Senate deemed it a poor use of its money as it was only geared toward Helser residents. “We made it clear to everyone that all of UDA was invited to the program,” Bryan Kissel, vice president of Linvingston House in Helser, said in an Oct. 15 Daily article. “But that didn’t matter.”

That was the “last straw,” said Scott Siepker, president of the same house in Helser. With that, they decided to put into action a bill that would remove Helser from the UDA government.

The supposed Friley-Helser rivalry is ridiculous, said Toby Meyer, UDA senator. But Helser does have a disadvantageous spot in this predicament — Friley, being the second largest residence hall in the country, has more votes than Helser will ever have. Separating from UDA would lend Helser more control of its actions, including issues such as T-shirt funding.

Suite Building 1 is interested in the “people’s movement,” said James Van Bruggen, another Helser vice president. As the new suites near Friley and Helser are constructed, the need for change in the student government system is a needed and beneficial move.

This change would give Helser and the new suite buildings their own constitutions and boards, and Helser would no longer need to report its actions to UDA. Effectively, it would make Helser independent.

Let Helser stand on its own, make its own decisions, drafts it own constitution and create a new board. Let its residents have more say in what their building does, rather than being overshadowed by all of Friley.

This is more than a T-shirt debate, and it’s more serious than the notion of a “Friley-Helser rivalry” draws to mind. The UDA Senate does not deserve a bad name for this incident. Rather, Helser should be applauded for taking the effort to become an independent force on campus. The decisions made by the UDA Senate, since they so strongly affect Helser residents as well, could be made more easily by a new government that served a more tailored set of constituents.

Walk away, Helser. Let them go, UDA Senate. Cool the drama and quell the talk of a rivalry. A separate Helser system will benefit, not hinder, all residents involved.

Editorial Board:Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Rachel Faber Machacha, Charlie Weaver, Zach Calef, Ayrel Clark.