On Wednesday night, student body President Maxon Victor performed as a part of the band Classified at a concert held in the Greek Village and co-sponsored with approximately $24,500 of Activity & Service fees. A&S fees are collected on a per-credit-hour basis when students sign up and pay for classes.

From its inception, the concert was a divisive issue, prompting numerous quarrels, allegations and disagreements between members of the Student Government Senate and other branches of SG. After a series of votes by the senate, the money for the concert was ultimately approved. It was later announced that Classified would perform as an opening act for the show’s headliner, Less Than Jake.

After the senate’s initial refusal to fund the concert, Victor told the Oracle, “The senate needs to evaluate whether or not they have personal interests in mind or interests for the student body. If they had the interest of the student body in mind, they would have supported this. I felt overall this was a shameful display of Student Government leadership.”

Despite the fact that Victor and his bandmates received no monetary compensation for their performance, the announcement drew the ire of those who thought the band’s selection was at odds with language in the SG Code of Ethics that states, “No officer or employee of Student Government shall: … take advantage of the official capacity of their office for their own personal gain or advantage, including any act beneficial to any person in whose welfare he or she is interested.”

When questioned by the Oracle on the matter, Victor said, “It was in no fashion or form or request on my part to be a part of the show. We were asked by the coordinators of the concert to perform.”

What the coordinators didn’t ask Classified to do was rip up copies of the Oracle while on stage. During the band’s set, members of Classified tore up copies of the Oracle while directly referencing and disparaging a Monday article titled “A questionable choice?” in which the band’s selection was examined. Victor watched and stood by as other members of Classified ripped up the papers.

Interestingly, Victor and his bandmates did not tear up copies of the Feb. 6 edition of the Oracle, in which an feature article on the band ran, titled “President gives Classified info.”

It’s hard to think of a more shameful display of SG leadership than the student body president destroying copies of the student newspaper in a public forum because he was mad at his actions being questioned.

Classified’s conduct at the concert was unwarranted and unbecoming. Victor may not like the Oracle or appreciate the exposure he receives in its pages, but scrutiny and criticism comes with the job. He is at all times the foremost representative of SG and the student body and should carry himself with the dignity and integrity expected of someone in the office.

Though his term as president is soon over, throwing caution to the wind is not an acceptable course of action. The way in which Victor chose to voice his personal distaste for the Oracle showed a lack of composure and poise. It was an inappropriate and irresponsible way to represent SG and serves as a clear indicator to the student body how its president chooses to confront the adversities of his office.