Two weeks’ notice: VSA changes election regulations

Elysia Gloverl Staff Writer

Members of the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council had little time for homework after their weekly meeting on April 6, which began at 7 p.m. and lasted nearly four-and-a-half hours. Members spent most of that time debating several changes to the rules that will govern campaigning in the upcoming spring elections.

Council passed a number of amendments to the VSA by-laws, resulting in the creation of two new elected positions: a Town Students’ Programming Director and a Town Students’

Secretary, as well as the dissolution of the elected student positions on the equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, and the Committee on Disability Issues Committee. Inactivity of the committees was cited as justification for the motion.

The VSA Campaign by-laws amendments will be the most noticeable adjustments in the lives of students, as campaigning for the VSA elections gets under way in the coming weeks.

Members held a fierce debate on the permitted campaign poster and flyer size to allow for a more effective use of the hallway bulletin boards. But it was the debate on the proposed adjustment of candidate printing quotas that took center stage.

In the end, issues of sustainability were the key concern, and the desire to cut back on campaign waste resulted in an overwhelming majority voting in favor of reducing the print quota for campaigners from 500 sheets of 8.5 by 11 inch paper to 150 sheets. Supporters of the change hoped that the restriction would lead to a more creative use of campaign materials by candidates.

“There’s no reason why candidates can’t cut these pieces of paper in half or even in quarters if they want to reach more of their constituents,” said VSA Vice President for Student Life Morgan Warners ’08 at the meeting. “They can condense their message, and save paper as a result.”

Also notable was an amendment allowing for the use of electronic forums for election campaigning. In past elections, the campaigning rules only regulated for posters and flyers.

“There was no acknowledgement of the digital age we live in,” said Class of 2010 President Nate Silver ’10. “Nearly all forms of Internet usage were prohibited.”

Silver went on to add, “Now Facebook pages will be legitimate spaces to display information about you as a candidate—highlighting your opinions on issues and giving a more comprehensive overview of yourself than a brief candidate statement or poster could.”

The inclusion of the Internet as a campaign tool may also help to address the council’s concerns with sustainability. Sean Boley ’08, a member of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), the group responsible for the proposed changes to the campaign by-laws, stated that the use of facebook profiles would help cut waste.

However Boley did comment that, after researching the election by-laws of peer institutions, the Council’s concerns over material waste were slightly exaggerated. Boley cited his desire to see a campaign with fewer restrictions. “If we had fewer regulations, candidates would not run the wasteful and unfair campaigns that the VSA Council is worried about, because those people will not get elected,” he said. “No one likes a jerk.”

Not all were in agreement, however, and Boley was not alone in voicing his dissatisfaction with the amendments. With many of the current Council members planning on running in the coming election, there were concerns over the timing of the proposed amendments and the potential for a conflict of interest.

“CRC and the Board of Elections have had an entire year to consider campaigning reforms, and yet they chose to introduce them just two weeks before filing was to begin,” said Vice President for Activities Jimmy Kelly ’09 in an e-mailed statement. “I find this problematic because the likelihood that votes would be politically and personally motivated is so much higher.” Kelly moved to postpone consideration until after the election, and ultimately voted against the package of amendments.

The concern over possible conflicts of interest was seconded by Ferry House President Tendai Musakwa ’10. “The changes reported by CRC raise serious concerns as to the transparency and impartiality of the by-law review process. The introduction of Campaigning by-law changes two weeks before elections is a highly suspect move that should have been examined more closely.”

However, both Silver and Boley denied such claims, pointing to the driving force of the Senior members of the CRC behind the amendments. “I think that the point about the amendments unfairly advantaging certain people, namely the VSA Council, is false,” Boley said. “

Clearly the amendments do not give an advantage to Council. For the most part, they did not write them. We [the CRC] have virtually nothing at stake personally in the process at this point.”

Musakwa also felt many of the amendments did little to clarify the process, referring to them as “vague” and “confusing”. He also questioned the effect the changes will have on reducing waste. “A new section stipulates that campaign flyers cannot be placed on a student’s door, but allows for fliers to be left under that student’s door.”

VSA President Sam Charner ’08 wrote in an e-mailed statement that overall he was “very pleased with the amendments.” He continued, “While they will not be a huge substantive change in the upcoming election, they create more clarity on what is and what is not allowed in campaigning. I think these amendments will make the elections process more fair and more understandable for everyone.”

Vice President for Operations Summer’s-Grace Green ’09 was optimistic. “I think that these changes will ensure that candidates clearly understand what they are able to do in regards to campaigning enabling them to focus more on getting their messages out to the community.”