SAC leaders discuss controversy

Student Activities Council leaders addressed the controversy surrounding the elections for SAC's finance committee chairperson, which took place earlier this month. SAC Steering Committee Chairperson Richard Chow, a Wharton senior, said the elections were biased because Assistant Director of Student Life Activities and Facilities Scott Reikofski, an advisor to SAC, allegedly made prejudiced comments about the candidates during candidate discussions. College senior Basia Dybicki was elected finance committee chairperson. She said her opponent, College sophomore David Shapiro, filed a complaint about the "biased" elections -- although votes had already been counted and Dybicki was declared winner. Shapiro was not present at the election and was informed about Reikofski's comments later by a finance committee member, she added. "My opponent filed the complaint because Scott said something that could have been biased towards me," said Dybicki. "I don't know [what was the actual comment was], since I wasn't there when it was made." Chow said it was determined that many members felt Reikofski had "unfairly swayed votes the first time around." In order "to justify Scott's presence," Chow sat in on the second elections meeting. But when a second vote was taken, and Dybicki still turned up as the victor, Chow said he was satisfied that "a definitive statement was made for Basia." He added, however, that Dybicki's role as the Finance committee chairperson for the next two months would essentially be that of a "lame duck," simply due to her short term in office. Dybicki disagreed, saying that her role is legitimate despite the short governing period. "It's an important job," she said. "I will be looking at everyone's carry-overs and deficits, and continue to look at contingency requests." Dybicki is only holding a two-month term is because she is a graduating senior. Therefore, instead of having elections next October, there will be another Finance committee chairperson election in January. When asked what the role of the Finance chairperson is, Dybicki said that her job is to lead the committee and still be able to mediate disputes among the members as "an equal." "I make sure everyone is doing their job," she said. "As a mediator, I make sure everyone gets to say what they want to say. "I'm the most experienced member of the committee," Dybicki added. The entire SAC representative council first voted to elect the individual committee members. After these members were elected, the five-member committee then selected Dybicki as their committee chair in a closed-session meeting. "It's done within," said Chow. "The committee itself gets together and votes while [Finance Committee Liaison] Bleema Moskowitz sits on the meeting. "By and large it's not open," he added. Dybicki said she believes that it is better to have internal elections for the committee chairs rather than have everyone in the council vote in a democratic election. "If the vote depended on the entire body then it would be a superficial election because the body doesn't really know us," she said. Chow also said that he was disappointed by the lack of feedback from the general SAC body, which is comprised of liaisons and treasurers of SAC-funded or SAC-recognized student organizations. "When four candidates are [vying] for three posts [on the Finance committee], they should have asked them more questions," he said. "This year, the body just doesn't seem to be as active."