UOSA General Counsel Mike Davis approved five ballot initiatives and denied three other ballot initiative petitions that would have made a dramatic change to UOSA.
Nicholas Harrison, second-year law and business graduate student, authored the five approved initiatives that, which would change some requirements of how people may run for elected office in UOSA in the legislative and executive branches.
Under the proposed amendments, UOSA president and vice president would not run together but separately, and members of Student Congress would be up for election at the beginning of every semester.
Other proposed amendments would allow part-time students to run for UOSA office, set a signature limit for ballot initiatives regardless of voter turnout in UOSA elections and allow OU’s nominee to the Student Advisory Board to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education a position that would be elected by the student body every year.
Harrison also proposed an initiative that would prohibit UOSA from making campaign rules during student government elections.
Three additional petitions were submitted by Daniel Helm, french and philosophy senior, and would have put three constitutional amendments on the ballot. One would have eliminated all branches of UOSA and replaced all definitions of office with the phrase “This shit is bananas, B.A.N.A.N.A.S!” Two other amendments would have restricted the requirements for UOSA membership and renamed UOSA to the Cobra Command Consultant PAC. These petitions were denied.
UOSA Student Congress Vice Chairman Matt Gress said that Helm’s proposed amendments are evidence that the UOSA Superior Court should reconsider its decision to allow one signature petitions to be valid.
“Mr. Helm has exploited the decision of the court, and I and other members of UOSA will ask the court to reconsider its decision,” Gress said. “Mr. Helm’s amendments would be funny if student government didn’t play such a vital role in students’ lives, but it does.”
Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society spokesman Matt Bruenig said Daniel Helm is a member, but the group does not endorse or support his initiatives. Harrison told The Daily he is no longer a member of Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society, but does talk to the group frequently.
UOSA General Counsel rejected Helm’s amendments on the grounds they are absurd and an abuse of the Superior Court’s decision.
“The General Counsel has reviewed the precedent set by the UOSA Superior Court in order to make a decision regarding the validation of absurd amendments,” Davis stated in a press release. “Although the court has been clear, that amendments submitted in good faith are valid, and that a one-signature threshold may sometimes exist for amendment petitions, the court left some wiggle room for the General Counsel for absurd petitions.”
Davis stated he is working on asking the court for a complete reversal of its decision in light of Helm’s initiatives.
“The ramifications of their certification include but are not limited to the distraction of voters from non-joke amendments, the risk of offending voters with foul language on the ballot as well as ideas that infringe upon proper etiquette or social attitudes, and the further de-legitimization of the petition process,” Davis stated. “The UOSA Constitution’s process for petitions is already illogical. Certification of these amendments would add further illogic to the system.”
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soonerboomers 2 years, 5 months ago
"...if student government didn’t play such a vital role in students’ lives, but it does."
Ahahahahahahahahahaha.