Associated Students of Monmouth College Update

By Ian Van Anden
Asst. Sports Editor

The gathering of the Associated Students of Monmouth College (ASMC) turned into one of the most spirited meeting in recent memory. On Tuesday March 28, the meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.

After a relatively uneventful first 25 minutes, the meeting began to pick up speed. ASMC member and senator of College Republicans, senior, Dan Bliss, stood up to announce suspension of the 2006 election rules, which had been voted on and passed in the previous ASCM meeting.

The specific rule Bliss and several other supporting members were attempting to suspend was the issue which is preventing junior Sylvia Fabela from running for the office of presidency. Her running mate, Ben Sauer, who was at the meeting representing Graham Hall, was one of the strongest voices for the debate.

With much confusion the ASMC executive board looked to Dean Condon for answers. Condon pointed their questions to Faculty Senate Parliamentarian Professor Ken McMillan, who was unavailable at the time.

Along with all the motions and debate, there were two recesses called, one to give the senators an opportunity to look over the presented information, and then one to call Professor McMillan.

Finally, 45 minutes after the discussion began the students had yet to make a vote. To have the suspension of the rules passed, the motion would need a 2/3 vote. In other words the motion would need to carry 20 votes, but it only received six. There was one vote that was unsure the remaining votes were against the motion.

The threesome of Bliss, Fabela, and Sauer left the ASMC meeting in defeat but with time remaining before the vote they were able to take another course of action to make it possible for Fabela to run.

The rule that was in the running to be suspended was that, in order to run for an ASMC executive office, one must be present at 75% of all ASMC meetings the year of the election as well as be on campus for two semesters, including the semester of the election.

Unfortunately, for Fabela, she decided to study abroad last semester in Washington D.C., making her ineligible for this year’s election.

However, even if this election rule had been suspended, there were also two articles in the ASMC Constitution that would have prevented Fabela from running. The first being Article Three Section Three which states:

“Anyone seeking election as President or Vice President must meet the following requirements. A candidate must be a full time student who: has been a senator of the Student Senate who has attended at least 75% of Student Senate meetings that academic year (two semesters preceding the election, including the semester the election occurs within) prior to the election filing deadline, established annually by the Student Elections Commission, as certified by the Clerk [and] be in good academic standing, and hold at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA.”

The second being from Article 10 of the Caveat which states: “The most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be referred to when questions of procedure are not contained herein; however, this constitution shall always have precedence over Robert’s Rules of Order.”

At the meeting Sauer and Fabela both felt as though “no one was willing to listen; mainly because of Ben’s outspokenness and views.”

After failing in the ASMC the pair’s spirits remained unbroken as they looked to the Faculty Senate for help. The two contacted Professor Ira Smolinski to see if the Faculty Senate could change the ASMC Constitution prior to the election. Again Sauer and Febela found themselves standing at a dead end.

In order to allow Fabela to run, an amendment to the ASMC Constitution would have to be made. Currently, Sauer and Fabela, along with a group of students and faculty are in the process of assembling an amendment. However, this is a long process that must also go through the faculty senate. The likelihood of the amendment being passed before the end of the year is low let alone before the election.

According to Sauer and Fabela, the goal of the motion was to “immediately allow us to run for the presidency, but it was also in order to help Study Abroad students in the future.”

Vice President Richard Harrod, a junior who has been involved with ASMC since his arrival on the Monmouth College campus, will also be running for the ASMC presidency. Harrod’s running mate will be Paige Halpin, a freshman.

Harrod agrees with the claim being made by several Monmouth College students and believes “it is a valid argument; students who choose to study abroad should have the opportunity to run for office.”
When asked to comment on his potential opponents, Harrod said, “Sauer has done a traffic job this year, both as a senator and as the Information Systems Chair. He is fully qualified for any executive office. As for Sylvia, it is simply the letter of the law.”

Both Harrod and Fabela were part of the writing of the ASMC Constitution when this article was added to unsure that active members of the ASMC would be the leaders of its executive offices.
Fabela said of being on the writing committee, “I know we discussed this issue there just wasn’t anything done about it; I don’t know what happened, whether as a group we forgot or what.”

Despite losing to the ASMC, Sauer and Fabela have recieved a great deal of support from the campus for their position, “we have already accumulated 400 signatures that are required for running for presidency.”

Fabela said of the students’ attitudes, “they seem upset about study-abroad students not having the opportunity to run for office.”

Harrod also wished to make it clear that he in no way wishes to prevent Fabela from running for office and that he finds extreme importance in “taking part in the ASMC,” which he sees as “a wonderful institution and it has lots of potential.”

As for this year’s election emotions seem to be heating up. Despite not being able to officially run Fabela and Sauer plan to win through write in votes. In order for Harrod to win (he is currently unchallenged) he would need to receive 25% of the votes cast.

Sauer said of his opponent, “it is interesting to find the Vice President use a technicality to keep his opponents from running.” Sauer and Fabela also appealed to the senators to make it possible for anyone to run for presidency and “to remove any extenuating circumstance beyond a 2.5 GPA and good academic standing” from the running of a presidency.

Current ASMC President Brandi Miller was unavailable for comment, as she was attending a graduate school interview.