Showing insufficient mournfulness for the great national tragedy that was 9/11 is itself deeply offensive to many people, however, and UNM’s administration was quickly inundated with demands for a rebuke of the vote. UNM President Eric Kaler announced Wednesday that he would formalize the moment of silence anyway.

“We certainly did hear from folks on this,” said Evan Lapiska, a spokesperson for UNM, according to the Star Tribune. “Dean Johnson and President Kaler wanted to make sure that the folks were aware that the U is committed to honoring the victims.”

Kaler’s reversal of the vote is a good reminder that student government politics are ultimately a pointless sideshow. That’s probably a good thing. What would these despots-in-training do if they had any real power?