Saturday, April 22, 2006
GA Referendum Summary
Here's a summary of the GA referendum and why it's a really bad idea.
First, the way things work now:
Currently, undergraduates and graduate students have equal rights in the ASUC. We vote equally, we can run for office equally, we can join student groups equally, and we can beg for funds from the Senate equally. The ASUC makes no distinction between undergraduates and graduate students. However, all student fees paid by graduate students go towards the Graduate Assembly, so we essentially can vote and participate, but don't have to pay. It seems kind of screwed up, but there's really nothing to be done, because neither the old Memorandum or the new one deals with this issue.
If the referendum passes, the ASUC Constitution will be modified to allow the GA to nominate 3 out of the 9 Judicial Council members. The remaining 6 are nominated by the ASUC president. This is a change from the current situation, where all are nominated by the president. Note, however, that graduate students vote for the president. If we pretend that the GA represents graduate students (they don't, they only represent members of the GA, but whatever), then this means that graduate students have a say in the nomination of all 9 members, but undergraduates only have a say in 6 of them. This is pretty silly.
But even more importantly, the referendum reduces the amount the GA pays for elections costs. Currently, the GA pays for a share of ASUC elections costs equal to the proportion of students on campus who are grad students. This way, since all gradute students have equal voting rights as undergrads, and their student fees go to the GA, all students pay an equal share for the facilitation of their voting rights. The new referendum, however, changes this, and says that the GA only needs to pay a portion of elections costs equal to 12% or the proportion of actual voters who are graduate students, whichever is higher. This basically rewards graduate students for their apathy by not requiring them to pay for their voting rights if they don't bother to execute them.
Keep in mind that, in past years, the GA hasn't even followed its old Memorandum. The ASUC holds elections, and bills the GA for its share. The GA, then, absolutely refuses to pay it. If this referendum passes, then the GA will be rewarded for this refusal by reducing its share of the elections cost.
The juxtaposition of these two, 33% of the Judicial Council and 12% of the election costs, couldn't make it more clear. This is a blatant power grab attempt by the GA. They want more power, and they want less responsibility and costs.
Remember, student groups go to the ASUC for funds. Every penny that the GA gets out of paying the ASUC is a penny that isn't available for student groups which already have a hard time getting reasonable funding. To excuse the GA from paying for the voting rights of graduate students is not only blatantly unfair, but also costly to student groups on campus.
Every year the GA comes to us with a childish power grab. "Waah, we want power, but not responsibility!" Every year we have to knock it down. Hopefully, if we keep knocking down these pathetic referenda, the GA will eventually come to us with a fair one which defines the role of the GA in a manner that doesn't give it free power. Until then, though, we have to keep voting no on these referenda.
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