UA REFORM: Second in a series

Schoor's plan would kill SAC finance, NEC Undergraduate Assembly representative and College senior Dan Schorr proposed a plan last week that infuses the UA with more power than it has ever held -- while slightly weakening other branches -- to combine most governmental functions into one body. "The basic principle is to combine lobbying, finance and nominations in one government," Schorr said. To stay true to this principle, Schorr's plan would institute major changes in several of student government's long-standing organs. The proposal eliminates the Nominations and Elections Committee, the Student Activities Council Finance Committee and the UA Budget Committee. It empowers the UA to perform the duties that currently fall into their jurisdictions. "Functions should be done by elected people," Schorr said. "Nomination and budgeting are not [under the current constitution]." Schorr's proposal would create a new UA Nominations and Feedback Committee to appoint students to University councils and committees -- a duty currently performed by the NEC. "The NEC works well in their constitutional job," he said. "But I disagree with their mission." Schorr said his plan will include an independent body to run elections -- another function the NEC now performs. Originally, Schorr's plan also called for the SAC Steering Committee to run elections, he said. But feedback from students this week convinced him to create a separate committee for the purpose. In addition, while SAC would no longer allocate funds to student activities under the proposal, it would continue to oversee and grant official recognition to various University groups. Schorr said the UA would assume control of funds for SAC groups. But he added that SAC could overturn a funding decision made by the UA by a two-thirds majority vote. "There has to be a slight check on UA funding so it can't indiscriminately wipe out student activity groups," he said. SAC's membership would continue to consist of one representative from each recognized group, as it currently is, Schorr said. With the UA's increased power, it will need additional members, according to Schorr. If passed, Schorr's plan would increase the size of the UA from 33 representatives to 39, so that there would be sufficient personnel to perform the body's added duties. Under the proposal, the UA and SAC would be the only branches of student government. Schorr downplayed the importance of electoral reform in restructuring student government. He added that by infusing the UA with greater power, more talented and capable students will want to run for office. "Instead of electoral reform, what we need is student government members who go out and get in touch with the voters themselves," he said. "I think that will happen under this new government." Other student leaders had varied comments on Schorr's draft. UA Chairperson and Wharton junior Dan Debicella, who released his own plans this week, said Schorr's plan was extreme. "We do need to make the branches work together," he said. "But I see his solution as going over the edge." SAC Finance Committee member and College junior Mike Nadel said he has been working with Schorr in an attempt to unify their plans. "[The plans] have a lot in common but there are some major differences," he said. "We're going to put together one united front." UA representative and College junior Lance Rogers said Schorr's plan could be the solution to the problems facing student government. "It encompasses some great characteristics of [Debicella's and Nadel's] policy and seems to me to be the ideal compromise," he said.

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