The Student Assembly — known in the past for contentious elections and controversial methods of getting votes — revised its election rules last night during a meeting in the Straight Memorial Room, abolishing the partisan slates, or tickets, that dominated last year’s election.
“I think the resolution is a great idea because for too long we’ve had a horrible ticket culture,” said Calvin Selth ’07, LGBTQ representative.
“Tickets are for popular people and this will allow candidates to focus more on the issues,” he said.
Resolution 22, officially titled the Resolution for the Revision and Adoption of Student Assembly Election Rules, changes the way candidates for the S.A. run for election mainly in terms of ticketing.
“Elections start in February and end in March, and in April and May the [S.A.] doesn’t accomplish much because the officers are lame ducks,” said Elan Greenberg ’08, vice president for internal operations.
“Then, in September, October and November, the S.A. has to fight the stigma that we don’t get along with each other, and by the time we break out of the funk, elections start again.”
According to Greenberg, Resolution 22 breaks this cycle and “eliminates the nastiness so that the S.A. can get right to work.”
“I came in expressing reservations about part C of the resolution,” said Ryan Lavin ’09, ILR representative.
“But in the end I voted in favor to pass the entire resolution.”
There was a movement to strike out part of the resolution. Part C prohibits candidates from distributing promotional materials, sending any electronic communication or utilizing any other form of electronic media on behalf of another candidate. However, the movement fell apart and the entire resolution was passed.
“The election process will be much cleaner and fairer,” said Sarah Boxer ’07, vice president for finance.
In addition to Resolution 22, the members of the assembly discussed Resolution 11, which mandates that college representatives meet with the deans of their respective colleges at least three times a semester. S.A. representatives said that smaller colleges, such as the College of Architecture, Art and Planning and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, have an easier time of getting a hold of their deans for scheduling meetings.
Daniel Budish ’09, AAP representative, said that he has been working with his dean on establishing an all-AAP service day and an all-AAP dance.
Kate Duch ’09, at-large representative, led discussion on the proposed changes to the Campus Code of Conduct. Kent Hubbell, dean of students, spoke on how his role as a student advocate would be affected if the Office of Judicial Administration was joined with the Office of the Dean of Students, a possibility first raised by the Krause report, commissioned during the presidency of Hunter R. Rawlings III.
The Codes and Judicial Committee will hold a forum for discussion on the Campus Code of Conduct Monday, based around a series of three questions.
The CJC will report to the results of the forum to the University Assembly, which, according to Duch, “has control over the proposed changes are made.”
The members of the assembly discussed one proposed change to the Campus Code of Conduct: whether the judicial administrator has jurisdiction over off-campus conduct.
“What would be the boundary for the JA?” Selth said.
“It would be beneficial for the JA to have jurisdiction in cases of sexual assault and rape.”
The SA members also debated on whether or not the Code would apply to all members of the Cornell community — not only students, but faculty and staff as well.
“I would like to see the faculty come under the more scrutiny,” said Ahmed Salem ’08, international representative.
According to C.J. Slicklen ’09, vice president for public relations,
Resolution 16, the resolution supporting the extension of Tompkins County Bar Closing Hours, has been tabled indefinitely after having been on the agenda for two months.
The meeting also included discussion on Resolution 23, which according to Slicklen, would set up a bus service that runs between campus and Syracuse Hancock Airport every two hours and that would cost around $30.