Student council works to resolve elections calamity, alter bylaws

By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Reporter

The Undergraduate Students Association Council took major steps
this week toward addressing its upcoming elections, as well as a
deadline for revising its bylaws regarding student fee
allocation.

The council named a new Elections Board chair Tuesday after
former Chair Alex Kaplan resigned last week. USAC will also meet
Friday to appoint the remainder of the E-Board, approve an
elections timeline, and confirm the system by which students will
vote.

In addition to trying to sort out the elections procedure, USAC
has been wrestling with the issue of revising its bylaws regarding
student fee funding.

On Thursday, Chancellor Albert Carnesale wrote a letter to the
council extending the deadline for revisions to April 27.

“In order to facilitate the completion of this process, I
have consulted with my administrative representative and others,
and have decided to accept their recommendation to extend the
deadline,” Carnesale stated in the letter.

This is the second extension the chancellor has granted USAC.
His first, made on Feb 27, granted the council an extension until
Friday.

USAC President Elizabeth Houston said Thursday she will not
support any future extensions.

“I think we’ve made adequate progress and that the
deadline can be met quite easily,” Houston said.

During an informal meeting Wednesday, the council discussed
getting a lawyer for advisory purposes while it attempts to revise
its bylaws .

While USAC considered seeking help from a lawyer, Campus Events
Commissioner Jared Seltzer said having one present could lead to
further obstacles.

“I think that right now it’s premature,”
Seltzer said. “It’s important that students have the
right to enact policy without such intense external
oversight.”

Such an act, Seltzer said, would be an invitation for all
interested parties to bring legal representation to council
revision meetings.

“It’s important for students to set a precedent
rather than lawyers,” Seltzer said.

But the council has a valid need for legal expertise, said
Internal Vice President Elias Enciso.

“We all have to recognize our limitations of not having
been trained in law,” Enciso said.

“USAC is going to vote on a lawyer we feel has adequate
experience dealing with issues regarding student fees,” he
continued.

According to Enciso, the council has begun soliciting lawyers
and will vote to approve one during next Tuesday’s
meeting.

Houston said if USAC chooses to obtain a lawyer, she will
present her own at the meeting.

“If a lawyer is retained, there will be more than
one,” she said.

Also this week, council approved Nicole Lynch, last year’s
E-Board chair, to head this spring’s elections.

Kaplan, who resigned April 5 in the middle of conflict with some
council members, supported Lynch as an appropriate successor.

“I worked with her last year and know that she’s
very experienced with the E-Board,” he said, citing
Lynch’s previous three years on the board as making her
highly qualified for the position.

Lynch said she was able to meet all of the council’s
demands and is ready to propose necessary changes at Friday’s
meeting.

“I have a lot of experience, and am really familiar with
the process, especially the paper ballots,” Lynch said.

She added that all four of her nominees to the E-Board have
prior experience with the elections process.

Robyn Sullivan, the only member of the E-Board who did not
resign in support of Kaplan, said she stayed on to ensure an
election would happen.

“I had just come on board last quarter and didn’t
have as much of a personal stake in the process,” said
Sullivan, a third-year political science student.

Pending approval of the elections calendar, voting is scheduled
to take place May 9 and 10, and if necessary, runoffs are slated
for May 16 and 17.

Despite the progress that has been made, Seltzer said USAC must
be careful of its actions as elections approach.

“I’m troubled by the fact that individual members of
council are too involved with the E-Board and the elections
process,” he said.

The council, he said, must ensure the E-Board is allowed to
function as an independent body under USAC supervision ““ not
micro-management.

But there should be no more technical obstacles impeding the
election, Lynch said.

“I don’t foresee any more complications; everything
should be back on track,” she said.