USAC needs conflict of interest policy and should have implemented it long before now
THE ISSUE:
The lack of conflict of interest policies in the USAC bylaws is a concern for the student body as it means councilmembers are less accountable for their actions. Missing explicit bylaws have translated to practical problems and resulted in questionable actions by USAC officers.
OUR STANCE:
Setting out to establish conflict of interest policy is an important step in setting the standard for other student governments. It is perplexing that such a policy did not exist.
By Editorial Board
March 10, 2011 1:26 a.m.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council is looking to amend its bylaws to include a definitive conflict of interest policy after the questionable acts of USAC Financial Supports Commissioner Rustom Z. Birdie came to light last month.
As a government, the council needs to have a conflict of interest policy. The council has a duty to the student body, and its members, to fully and accurately communicate the policies they abide by.
Having recognized the severity of Birdie’s slipup, USAC is taking action to ensure councilmembers understand their boundaries.
President Jasmine Hill says she is currently working with council advisers to amend the bylaws to include language that would make definite our student government’s policies on conflict of interest. She wants to amend the bylaws so that in the future, not knowing will no longer be a viable excuse.
USAC’s lack of a conflict of interest policy, to begin with, raises a red flag, but that the omission was realized is a positive sign. Though Birdie’s questionable actions cannot be fully excused, part of the blame must also fall on the poorly codified bylaws.
The lack of such an important policy in the bylaws, and the possibility that others like it are still missing and not yet detected, is worrisome.
This board supports the timely efforts that USAC has taken to reach a solution. There is currently nothing written in the USAC constitution that defines explicitly what conflict of interest is and what specific actions are prohibited.
It is reassuring to know that our student government is working to increase transparency, something it has often been called on to do. USAC’s efforts to increase its council’s accountability for its actions signal a step in the right direction.
USAC is not the only one ““ conflict of interest policies are not addressed directly in the bylaws of other UCs. Though UC Riverside has a Transparency Act included in their undergraduate student government bylaws and UC San Diego has policies in place for impeachment of councilmembers whose conduct is deemed to be an improper use of authority, there are no specific rules against conflict of interest.
This is not true of all universities. Washington University in St. Louis clearly states conflict of interest policies in their student government bylaws.
By tackling the crux of the issue and working to implement new regulations, USAC can avoid further conflict of interest cases and set the standard for the UCs.
