Amend the Constitution!
A more local brand of presidential politics has made its annual
descent upon CSU: Associated Students of CSU elections are less
than a month away. While I may be one of the few people outside of
ASCSU who happens to be truly interested in this spectacle, the
corruption surrounding the event is getting so bad even I am
disgusted.
Every year ASCSU waits until the last minute to approve the
election bylaws. Every year the bylaws are amended in the eleventh
hour causing someone to cry “foul!” Every year ASCSU gives itself a
black eye just before its members try to convince the student body
to take their student government institution seriously.
The current members of ASCSU could save themselves a good deal
of strength and credibility in the future by adopting a uniform set
of election bylaws as a permanent amendment to their
constitution.
The Senate approved the election bylaws for this year’s election
on Feb. 11. The bylaws limit campaign expenditures to $3,000. Until
Wednesday night, a loophole was present in the bylaws that would
have allowed donated items to only be counted as one-quarter of its
actual retail value. This loophole would have allowed ASCSU
candidates to spend up to $12,000, four times the amount
specified.
This loophole could have allowed an ASCSU presidential candidate
able to get a lot of goods or services donated from a family or
friends the ability to spend every possible penny allowed in the
bylaws to win. If a candidate didn’t have family members or friends
who are able to donate thousands of dollars in goods they could not
compete.
The problem with ASCSU changing this inherently unfair rule is
that they changed it after the race already begun. Because ASCSU
passed the election bylaws on Feb. 11 and the packets for
applicants have already been available, I think the rules should
have to remain unchanged. If not, hypothetically candidates, who
are also currently in ASCSU, planning on running in this year’s
election could promote legislation changing the rules to their
advantage in the election, not for the good or in the best
interests of the students they represent.
Into the foray steps the ASCSU Supreme Court. The court, while
it really has no business doing so, has came out before Wednesday’s
vote and declared that removing the “one-quarter” clause from the
yet-to-be ratified bylaws was unconstitutional. The court cited a
court case from last year’s election, Marshall vs. ASCSU, as
precedent.
The justices ruled against the ASCSU Senate last year and
effectively made it illegal for the Senate to amend elections
bylaws after they had been made available to candidates. The
problem with the court citing this case as precedent, according to
Nathan Steinberg, the 2004 elections manager, is that “the
applications for candidacy are out, but the bylaws are not.”
Steinberg, who in my opinion is the only person in ASCSU without
some underlying political agenda, had another good reason the case
should not be used as precedent. “The changes (to the bylaws) would
not affect any current candidate’s status.”
Why would the court step in and try to influence potential
legislation when it is only able to decide on the legality of
legislation already passed and brought before it? Like the senators
who promoted the removal the “one-quarter” clause, the court claims
it is trying to maintain a certain degree of fairness by
maintaining the rules.
In the end, however, this whole charade surrounding campaign
spending limits doesn’t quite catch the essence of the real
problem. The real problem lies in the senate, and those who covet
the most power within the body, having the ability to craft new
election laws annually or as it sees fit.
The current system of creating and approving a new set of
election bylaws every year encourages acts of corruption in ASCSU.
I believe this environment drives the members of ASCSU to protect
their own personal interests first and to look after the interests
of the students they claim to serve second.
There is a sign currently posted in the ASCSU office which
states, “Remember we are here to advance the cause of the student,
not ourselves.” The drama and political backstabbing that could
potentially go on in the ASCSU office is proof of how far the
institution is straying from this credo.
Amending the constitution to include a set of election rules
that are not subject to annual review or change could end this
corruption. By making a permanent set of election rules and
regulations a part of the constitution this year, the outgoing
Senate can leave a lasting legacy on the institution.
ASCSU really does a great number good deeds and services for the
student body it represents. If the potential corruption can be
clipped, the institution and everyone in it would be made more
honorable even if the students it serves fail to notice.
Joe is a senior majoring in history. His column runs Thursdays
and yes, he is the Marshall in “Marshall vs. ASCSU”
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