Much has been written in these pages recently about the proposed changes to the Undergraduate Assembly constitution, transforming the internal chairmanship race into a student-body-wide election for a UA president and vice president. This opinion board has already endorsed the idea of a change, and now has examined the language presented to the UA.
While it’s not yet known how engaged the entire student body will be in the elections process, a school-wide vote gives all students the opportunitiy to vote on their public face.
A UA president is more than just a public face, however, and our chief concern lies in making sure that all candidates for the position understand the policy minutiae of the president’s job. Currently, there is no real requirement that forces candidates to become well-versed in the details of running the UA. One of the UA’s chief responsibilities is the allocation of funds to other student-government branches that, in turn, fund most organizations on campus. Being able to understand the dynamic relationship between UA policy and the effects on other students is critical, and must be validated in the elections process.
At the very minimum, candidates should be required to familiarize themselves with the form and function of the executive board and conduct extensive interviews with members of the other student-government branches as well as the members of the UA Steering Committee. One way this could be established is through required interviews or meetings with other student-government leaders.
No matter the method, though, we believe that this type of change is needed to strengthen the language of the proposed referendum so that the new position can have a fully functioning leader from day one.
