The EMU Board of Directors is beginning to accept applications for its four appointed student positions. Of the 16 people on the board, 12 are students. The board is beginning to accept applications for the four appointed positions. The others will be determined during spring elections.
Two of the positions will be ASUO programs representatives, and must have at least two terms of experience in an ASUO-recognized program, but may not be from the ASUO government.
The other two positions are for EMU programs representatives who must have at least two terms experience working in an EMU program.
Both positions pay $125 per month.
Two of those appointments could begin serving soon, Chess Patricolo, EMU Board chairwoman, said.
She said she is hoping these will be the people who serve through next year.
The board currently has one unfilled seat, which was vacated by current Student Senator Jeremy Ebner, and it anticipates the graduation of Kayla Seibel at the end of winter term.
Just before students left for break, the ASUO Constitution Court ruled on a grievance filed in November against Ebner.
Dallas Brown filed a grievance on Nov. 27 claiming that Ebner’s appointment to a Senate Seat 13 during fall term created a conflict of interest because he also served on the EMU Board, which appoints its own members.
ASUO President Jared Axelrod said he considered the potential conflict of interest when appointing Ebner to the Senate. Axelrod said he appointed Ebner to the vacant seat, a business school seat, because Ebner is a business major and was the most qualified candidate.
The Constitution Court, however, ruled on Dec. 4 that the two jobs do have a potential conflict of interest because as a member of the EMU Board, Ebner would be helping to come up with an EMU budgeting recommendation to be presented to the Senate and then “would be responsible for approving or denying this budgeting recommendation.”
The opinion issued by the court states, “one position calls on Mr. Ebner to advocate for a specific interest and set of goals, while the other position calls on him to fairly balance competing interests as a neutral representative.”
Axelrod said he did not think there was a conflict of interest because Ebner would be able to abstain from Senate votes relating to the EMU Board.
Ebner was ordered to resign from one of the positions and chose to resign from the EMU Board because the Senate deals more with issues he is interested in.
“I think I can have a little bit more influence on the Senate,” he said.
Brown said he has nothing against Ebner personally, but filed the grievance because he wanted to ensure a fair balance of power between the Senate and EMU Board.
The EMU Board will create a hiring committee to find a replacement for Ebner.
Another grievance filed at the same time by Brown accused the Senate of violating the ASUO Constitution by allowing Programs Finance Committee members to vote on the PFC budget. The court ruled because the vote dealt with guidelines for PFC allocations, but did not deal with any one specific budget, the vote was not subject to the regulations.
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News Editor Jill Aho contributed to this report