Student Interest Board silences voices

Dang is the Graduate Students Association external vice
president.

By Alain Dang

This week, graduate and professional students are heading to the
polls to vote for next year’s Graduate Students Association
officers and a slate of referenda. One of the referendum issues,
the creation of a Student Interest Board, is misleading. It states
that “a Student Interest Board should be created; a board
that will collectively represent the student interest groups or
organizations and be allotted two votes at Graduate Student
Association (GSA) Forum.” On the surface the idea may seem
fair, but digging deeper into the facts, the Student Interest Board
measure seeks to stifle student voices and remove representation
from the table.

This issue was brought before GSA Forum at the March 6 meeting,
where it was voted down after spirited debate. With that action,
Forum supported the right of each group to its own
representation.

Currently, there are six student interest groups recognized by
GSA: American Indian Graduate Students Association, Asian Pacific
Islander Graduate Students Association, Black Graduate Students
Association, International Graduate Students Association, Raza
Graduate Students Association and University Apartments South
Residents Association. Because they represent distinct
constituencies, each group is entitled to one vote on forum. A
Student Interest Board would collapse all six of these groups with
six total votes into a collective body with only two votes.

In order for a student interest group such as those listed above
to gain representation on Forum, it must be voted in through a
referendum. It is not an easy process. A group must collect 500
signatures, and win majority approval with at least 10 percent
voter turnout. Last year, for example, AIGSA won approval with
nearly 70 percent of graduate and professional students voting to
grant AIGSA a seat on Forum. AIGSA tried for three consecutive
years to gain representation on Forum. If this referendum passes,
that independent seat will be taken away.

Proponents of the Student Interest Board believe that Forum is
in danger of being overrun by these student interest groups.
However, the above example indicates that it is very difficult to
add a new group to Forum. Every such group has demonstrated that it
enjoys significant support from students.

With more than 30 delegates to Forum, the six student interest
groups cannot dominate Forum. Graduate and professional students in
the past gave approval because they saw the contributions these
groups make to ensuring comprehensive dialogue and advocating the
causes of traditionally marginalized communities.

The creation of a Student Interest Board, comprised of the six
student interest groups, is problematic. With six unique groups
each representing distinct issues, how will those two collective
votes be allocated? Will they have to be decided before the
meeting? What happens if there are wildly differing opinions on a
particular issue? Will a five-minute recess need to be called
before each vote in order for the “representatives” to
confer? Is each group worth just 1/3 of a vote?

The proponents of this referendum worry that student interest
groups do not represent significant constituencies. They argue that
a group of five students could come together and demand student
interest group representation on Forum. Under the current system,
however, this cannot happen. With any referendum, 500 graduate
students must sign a petition to place the issue before the voters.
This ensures that any group seeking representation on Forum
represents a significant constituency and that there is broad-based
support for their existence.

The proponents of the Student Interest Board gathered their 500
signatures to place the issue for a vote, but they were gathered
under false pretenses. Petition gatherers failed to specifically
mention that this referendum reduces the representation on Forum of
the student interest groups from six seats to two. They only
mentioned that a new Student Interest Board would be created.

Secondly, they gathered their signatures standing at the
check-in table at one of GSA’s GradBars, giving signers the
false impression that this measure is a GSA-sponsored referendum.
Deceit is an insidious part of their campaign to pass this
referendum.

The student interest groups were originally created and voted in
by you, the students, because you felt there was a need for
representation on Forum. Today the situation is no different. These
groups bring a unique perspective to Forum that cannot be
duplicated through representation from academic councils alone.
These groups are the social conscience of GSA, bringing forth
issues that impact marginalized communities both within and outside
the university.

In light of recent events in the world, we, as an academic
community, should encourage diverse viewpoints at the table rather
than stifle them. A Student Interest Board would effectively
silence healthy debate.

This week, as you go online to vote, don’t be fooled! Vote
NO on Student Interest Board!

The following people are associated with this submission:
Jennifer Bazilius of the American Indian Graduate Students; Peter
Kim of the Asian Pacific Islander Graduate Students Association;
Kerry Muhlestein, delegate of the University Apartments South
Residents Association Forum; and Curt Schurgers of the
International Graduate Students Association.