It should have come as no surprise.

Throughout the semester, the Undergraduate Student Government had led us to believe the senate knew what it was doing, but all it took was one misguided, error-ridden resolution to crush much of that confidence in one fell swoop.

On Wednesday night, 13 USG senators, led by Prescott Paulin, requested up to half a page of newspaper space and sole editing control in the Daily Egyptian.

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For a moment, let’s look past the likely infringement on our First Amendment rights and look to the many errors that took place for the senators to make their decision.

The resolution’s author, Paulin, never contacted the DE to discuss his idea. Rather, he used hearsay and facts that are only true in his mind as basis for Wednesday night’s unfortunate incident.

The statement claiming the DE is funded by student fees is inherently false. This award-winning student newspaper prides itself on the near $1 million in advertising revenue it garners each year.

To use student fees to fund the newspaper would not only subject it to control from the senate but also from the university administration. If you can’t bite the hand that feeds you, imagine how easy it would be for the university to squelch news that might appear unsightly for its image.

USG is supposed to be the voice of the students, yet with the simple-minded comment that the DE is supported by student fees, the senate has once again shown it has no idea what the university does with the thousands of dollars in fee increases it approves year in, year out.

Fortunately, USG President Akeem Mustapha had the foresight to issue his first veto of the semester – less than an hour after the meeting adjourned.

If senators diligently investigated whether the administration’s increases were proper, they would know the DE doesn’t get a cent.

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Just this week, the DE editorial board suggested the senate use the paper as a forum to communicate with the students – after all, it could be SIUC’s favorite lecture hall and bathroom reader.

But never did that recommendation imply far-reaching powers such as full editorial control, and Paulin would have learned that had he done the slightest ounce of research.

Instead, Paulin gathered 13 senators, and like lemmings, they started running for the cliff.

Should this mean we erase the positive moves USG members have made this semester? No, we will remember them and thank them for their work in due time. But for now, let us thank them for reminding us why a task force is examining the senate’s problems and for being a constant source of humor for the campus.