Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society’s petitions to recall 21 members of Student Congress was approved by UOSA General Counsel Thursday.

The group filed 21 petitions, one for each member of Congress they wanted to recall. The members being recalled should be chosen by a vote of the students rather than automatically taking a position in Congress because they ran uncontested in last spring’s UOSA election, said Matt Bruenig, group spokesman.

“Students will have the opportunity to choose in the recall election whether their current representative should retain office or whether they should be removed from office,” said Michael Davis, UOSA General Counsel member.

The date for the recall election has not been determined, Davis said.

“In a recall election there is not an opponent, there is only the question of whether someone should keep their position,” Davis said.

Davis said if a member of Congress is recalled, Student Congress may either appoint a replacement or hold a special election.

Bruenig said a special election should take place to fill the seat of any member removed from office.

“SDS believes that appointing people to fill vacant seats after the recall is not a solution,” Bruenig said. “It will only perpetuate the non-representative nature of the organization that we are seeking to reform.”

He said if there are any vacancies produced by the recall election and a special election is called, the group will select candidates to run for open seats.

“The petitions were signed before the meeting Tuesday and no member of Congress was singled out for a personal attack,” Bruenig said.

Davis states in the General Counsel’s report on the recall petitions that the signature was dropped because the second signature was a student who is not in Gress’ district.

Student Congress said they respect the group’s right to petition for a recall election, but said it is unfortunate they do not respect the work being done by Congress, said Spencer Pittman, UOSA Student Congress spokesman.

“It is unfortunate that they are seeking to recall good members of Congress,” Pittman said. “[These members] are working to change the way things are on and around campus.”

Pittman said members of Congress hope the recall election will draw attention to the work being done by current representatives and also said members of Congress will continue to work on current projects and legislation as if there was not an upcoming recall election.

“We are not going to work any less on projects and ideas that come to the Congress,” he said. “We will continue to work to make great change happen on campus for the good of the entire student body.”