Council to vote on UMC today

The United Minorities Council could face a struggle when its bid to obtain a seat on University Council comes to a vote today. The biggest threat is not losing the actual vote, but that Council could fail to meet the quorum required to make the vote binding. The 3-year-old UMC request will require a change of the Council bylaws -- which allow only elected representatives to hold seats, preventing the UMC from acting as a representative of undergraduates. In order for the bylaw change to be binding, 46 of the 91 Council members must be present to vote, and a majority of those present must approve. The largest attendance problem is posed by the faculty delegation; many of the 45 faculty members seldom attend meetings. Several faculty members have already said they will not be present at the meeting. But Faculty Senate Chairperson Peter Kuriloff, an Education professor, said he has been urging faculty members to attend this meeting in particular. And University President Judith Rodin said several mass e-mails have been distributed and other efforts have been undertaken to ensure that a binding vote can take place. Council members said they are unsure if the resolution will pass, since the issue has been the source of considerable debate over the past three years. "I am not optimistic as we haven't had one in six years," said Kuriloff, adding that he has "moved to put on the agenda for next year a motion to reduce the number required for a quorum so we won't be in this position." The Graduate and Professional Students Assembly, which has 15 seats on Council, passed a resolution last month expressing support for a specific UMC seat, according to newly elected Graduate and Professional Student Association Chairperson Victoria Tredinnick, a Linguistics graduate student. But most of the 15 Undergraduate Assembly members who sit on Council do not support the UMC request, according to UA Chairperson Noah Bilenker, a College sophomore. The UA had given the UMC one of its seats on Council until 1994, when a change in the Council bylaws required members to be elected by their constituent bodies. Since UMC members are not elected by all undergraduates, they were unable to continue to use a UA seat. Since the bylaw change, the majority of the UA has opposed adding a UMC seat to Council, arguing that the UA is the representative body of undergraduates and that all groups seeking representation should participate in the UA. Many faculty members, however, are believed to support the resolution, though Faculty Senate Chairperson-Elect Vivian Seltzer, a Social Work professor, said few faculty members have discussed their opinions with each other. But one faculty member who requested anonymity said he will probably not attend the meeting, adding that his own disillusionment with Council would make it hard for him to vote. "I have become progressively unsure of the purpose of Council," he said. "So I have a difficult time deciding who, or what, should be represented." Others have expressed fear that a UMC seat would open the door for other large umbrella groups like the InterFraternity and Performing Arts councils to request seats of their own. Undergraduate Assembly Secretary and former UMC Vice Chairperson Olivia Troye explained that the UMC represents several hundred students who feel they are not being represented by the UA. "I think the UMC has a point that they're not being represented," Troye said. "Since the [Council] is an advisory board to the president and provost, it's important for all students to have representation on [Council], and if someone feels he is not being represented, there is no reason why they shouldn't take the appropriate channels to gain representation." But Bilenker pointed to Troye's presence on the UA to illustrate that UMC members can gain a voice through the UA. He added that while the UMC may not have liked how past UAs handled minority issues, he hopes his UA can improve. Troye added that the UMC will not abandon the issue if there is no quorum at today's meeting. "I think the issue will be delayed if the quorum isn't filled," she said.