If there’s one thing the Daily’s articles on Dec. 5 showed, it’s that both the administration and The September 29th Movement are lacking a lot of common sense.

First, the concept of a secret meeting is stupid. It’s great that they actually tried to sit down and talk with a mediator, but why keep that fact secret? It’s to everyone’s benefit to let the public know about the discussions: The administration shows they are actively working on the issue, and The September 29th Movement continues in publicizing their issues.

Indeed, the transcripts of the meeting show the members of The Movement wanted the meeting to be made known to the public, but it was the mediator and administration that shot down that idea. The Movement should be commended for the openness they’ve shown in past dealings and this one, but the administration just wasn’t thinking.

The Movement, however, showed poor planning by bringing in the tape recorder and an incredible lack of judgement by releasing the transcripts of the meeting to the Daily.

Ignoring their move to bring a tape recorder to the meeting against the request of the conciliator, Milton McGriff stated he would agree to keeping the meeting confidential. “We’ve agreed to confidentiality. There is no question on confidentiality.”

And yet, somehow transcripts of this meeting were made public to the Daily for publication. Seems to me The Movement just breached confidentiality and blew whatever good faith the administration may have had with them.

Perhaps when these two groups actually start thinking and respecting each other something good can come out of their meetings. But as things stand, it’s just going to be an endless shouting match — one that has already gone on for too long.

James Milne

Senior

Computer engineering