The Observer, March 28, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 22
Class of 2009 will have special late elections
To the Editor:
As you are probably aware, campus-wide elections are currently underway for various Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Class Officer Collective (COC) positions. I write to inform you of an unfortunate situation which has occurred involving the Class of 2009 class officer positions. In the spring of 2007, the COC approved a new bylaw requiring all candidates for the position of senior class president to have at least one semester of experience with the collective. This bylaw was added to ensure that the person elected to lead the collective would have the experience necessary to orient new members with the fine points of the organization, and lead both returning and new members to the most efficient use of student funding for campus events. Similar provisions exist in the bylaws and/or constitutions of comparable campus groups, such as USG and University Program Board.
This is the first election in which this bylaw would apply. Unfortunately, this new information was never provided to the Election Commission (primarily made up of USG members) or to any interested candidates. Because this information was not made available, a candidate who did not meet this criterion submitted a letter of intent for the position of Class of 2009 president, and the candidate was approved to run for the position by the Election Commission. It was several days later before the mistake was noticed by a member of the collective.
While this situation is regrettable, the collective feels strongly that it would be unwise to disregard one of our own bylaws by allowing a candidate without COC experience to run for a position requiring leadership of the entire organization. As such, the collective has decided to hold a special election for all Class of 2009 positions in the weeks following the regular election, allowing the aforementioned candidate to choose a different position for which to run. Additionally, letters of intent will once again be accepted for all Class of 2009 positions. We believe we have made our decision in the best interest of all parties involved.
The Class Officer Collective sincerely apologizes for the major inconvenience caused to the candidates, the Election Commission, and the student body because of this oversight. We will make every effort to avoid similar situations in the future and look forward to continuing to serve the student body to the best of our abilities.
Lauren J. Hassen
Senior class president
