The Board of Elections (BoE) released the senatorial candidate list at 12:30 a.m. today for school-wide last minute election. By mandate of the recently-passed constitutional referendum, class representative positions are to be eliminated and replaced by class senators.
A legislative branch comprised of four class senators will replace the former structure of three representatives from each class. Only the three current senior representatives were permitted to stay on Student Council (StuCo). They await the election of their fourth class "senator."
Of the 13 open positions, only seven of them are contested. After the whirlwind time frame during which nominations were held, we don't consider that a surprise.
If the referendum is to propel the sweeping democratic reforms that its freshman drafter Jered Ede intended, its deliverance seems surprisingly undemocratic. A campus-wide email from the BoE was sent out on Tuesday at 12 noon to announce the 10 p.m. nomination deadline for these freshly-opened senatorial positions. To be on the ballot, candidates had to collect 50 signatures to be later confirmed by the BoE.
In the Class of 2005, three candidates are running. Two are competing for the same Senatorial position on the Committee of Leadership Appointments (COLA). The third position is uncontested for the Committee on Legislation. The fourth position is empty.
Though the BoE rushed the voting of the referendum, a decision that resulted in a complete restructuring of StuCo, they now feel it is acceptable to hold a full-scale election during reading period.
The BoE's decisions have not given the student body the time to react and respond to the changes being made. A 10-hour timeframe is not enough for interested parties to mobilize and collect 50 signatures. Uncontested and empty positions do not represent the student body that demanded these positions to be created in the first place.
This redrafting of StuCo's constitution is meant to be an opportunity for change, one called for by the students of this campus. Its handling does not do the referendum justice. Empty and uncontested positions and unreasonable deadlines signify poor planning and misjudgment on part of the BoE.
