ASMSU cited as violating constitution with election
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University officials said Monday ASMSU’s recent special election to approve a merger of the Student and Academic assemblies was in violation of ASMSU’s own constitution.
ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
Denise Maybank, senior associate vice president for Student Affairs and Services, said because the merger’s constitutional change was approved during a special election in early March — not during regularly scheduled spring elections, which take place in early April — ASMSU violated its constitution. Maybank met with ASMSU officials Monday afternoon to discuss the issue.
“I have sent a memo to the leadership of ASMSU, particularly to the chairs, indicating that by doing so they basically violated their own document,” she said.
A section of ASMSU’s constitution reads: “Proposed amendments shall be brought to referendum of the membership of ASMSU at the regularly scheduled Spring Semester elections.”
Maybank said she previously mentioned to ASMSU that, if it moved forward with a constitutional change outside of the regular spring elections, it would be out of compliance.
ASMSU officials, however, say they have the right to interpret their constitution as they see fit, and interpreted the phrase “Spring Semester elections” to mean multiple elections during the semester are allowed.
“I’d like to express the fact that there is an ‘s’ at the end of that statement,” Student Assembly Chairman Chris Schotten said. “The reason why we separated out our election was the fact that, given the nature of the reorganization of ASMSU, we needed to make sure that we had allotted for an appropriate amount of time for the organization to adjust.”
Schotten said prior meetings with Maybank had not made the accountability measure stipulations clear.
“ASMSU had not ever interpreted (the constitution) that way, as far as the repercussions of the accountability measures, that was not a discussion,” he said.
Maybank said by failing to operate within the constitutional guidelines, ASMSU now is in jeopardy of violating the university’s accountability measures. Those measures require all university groups that collect taxes to operate in a manner consistent with their own documents.
“The measures have a statement that says if the vice president for Student Affairs and Services determines that a student group has willfully failed to abide by those measures, the group agency account will be frozen,” she said.
Maybank also said ASMSU’s ability to collect student tax dollars could be revoked.
ASMSU Association Director Kara Spencer said ASMSU alumni had been consulted about whether ASMSU previously has held multiple spring elections.
“Our position is that our own constitution allows us to have multiple elections,” she said.
“This is one of the years that we need to hold more than one election.”
Commentary
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Seer
(03/15/11 12:13pm)Report
ASMSU should beware the Ides of March.
Silence?
(03/15/11 12:48pm)Report
I’m not sure if the lack of reaction here says more about ASMSU or the State News. This seems like REALLY big news, and either no one cares or no one knows.
End ASMSU
(03/15/11 2:08pm)Report
Folks this should seal it in your mind…ASMSU must go. Justin Epstein will be removed from office at tonight’s meeting for this debacle. The entire organization is corrupt and fully out for themselves and not the students. There is no more proof you need than this reality check by Dr. Maybank. I hope the administration disbands them all for this crap.
Starski
(03/15/11 3:28pm)Report
This isn’t the first time ASMSU interpreted the constitution in entirely different terms before. Look up the ASMSU scandal of last year brought up by Ryan Starski and other representatives to the assembly.
To answer the question of why there isn’t more of a response is because the advertisement of the organization has been low for years. Only 3 percent of the population votes on the elections, and every student at the time is given an email link to do so. EVERY student is given the laziest way to vote for their student government. Which shows they don’t care that much anyway. I second the motion of ASMSU must go.
apathy killed the cat
(03/15/11 3:50pm)Report
I could safely assume that a majority of the people who are concerned with this “violation” are the same individuals who were to lazy to click on a link in their inbox in order to get to the online voting poll. Correct me if I’m wrong, but ASMSU had set up voting polls in the MSU union the week of the election. These tables were staffed by representatives and employees who gave up their own free time (maybe even class) time to help inform the student body. The fact that most undergraduates on this campus are in their own little bubble and can hardly look up from their ipod to smile at a passing stranger let alone click on a link to vote says something about the lack of involvement on the student’s part, not the lack of effort by ASMSU representatives or employees.
@Apathy
(03/15/11 4:11pm)Report
This has nothing to do with participation…this has everything to do with the leaders of ASMSU screwing the pooch in dealing with the administration.
Oh, and Starski? You are a joke. A personal vendetta against Kristi Currier is not the same as this. Get over you over inflated idea of importance and head home to Mindy.
@@Apathy
(03/15/11 5:20pm)Report
Come one now that is very childish, you should know better. Her name is Mandy, not Mindy. :P
Outrider
(03/16/11 9:43am)Report
Anyone object to having the smart kids at CS in the college of engineering build an automated version of ASMSU? We could have a real time vote exchange for the 3% of people who are really interested in this and I’m sorry, I fail to see the relevance of this organization? I’m sure there are organizations that benefit from the funding provided by ASMSU but I was never a member of any of them as a student. How many people really need “free blue books” any more?
@shh
(03/16/11 10:21am)Report
This is the best you can do? To paraphrase Malcom X, those who use vulgar language have not the words to express what they truly feel (i.e., they are ignorant).
Dr. Maybank is trying to look out for the entire student body, not just the power hungry fools that have run ASMSU into the ground. Please explain how only advertising a special election on the day of the actual election is in the best interests of students? Worse yet was the decision to use the State News as your only source to disseminate information. Frankly, the results speak for themselves. Less than 300 students, out of 37000 actually voted.
This whole thing REEKS of hypocrisy. Had the University administration done something similar, ASMSUs leadership would have cried foul. Time to grow up people!! Perhaps the best thing that can happen here is to let this group’s attempt at organizational suicide succeed, and let a new group that truly represents start anew.
apathy killed the cat
(03/16/11 1:58pm)Report
@shh,
I suppose you would elect yourself the new grand leader of this perfect new organization?
mike
(03/16/11 9:46pm)Report
If ASMSU actually told the students what they do, perhaps more would care about what’s going on. I for one haven’t found them relevant once in my 4 years here. I do however hate the fact that we pay a tax each semester to ASMSU that appears to be flushed down the toilet.