The ASUO special election ends today, and students are being asked to vote on ASUO Constitution changes, student fee allocation and funding for student football tickets for games before the start of the academic year. Four measures are on the ballot.
ASUO Elections Coordinator Andrea Hall said the results will be posted on the ASUO office window shortly after the polls close at 5 p.m.
Ballot Measure 6.15.1 would allow the ASUO Programs Finance Committee a one-time exemption of the 7 percent budget increase limit in order to fully fund all ASUO and EMU building and equipment reserves for multiple ASUO programs.
If passed, the limit would be raised to 25 percent.
Similarly, Ballot Measure 6.15.2 would give a one-time exemption to the Athletic Department Finance Committee to fund tickets for two football games that happen before the start of the academic year. The games were formerly funded with the ADFC’s McArthur Court fund and the budget surplus. Since the fund is nearly drained and the surplus is low this year, the ADFC wants to include the tickets in its budget.
ADFC senator Kate Kranzush said without a contract to fund these games, the Athletic Department could charge up to $50 per ticket per game, which students would have to pay out of their pockets. Also, student seating would not be guaranteed because tickets would be regular admission.
“We don’t want students to have to pay out of their pockets for these games,” she said.
Kranzush added the measure affects law students in particular because law classes begin earlier in the academic year.
Ballot Measure 6.16 would temporarily modify the 7 percent cap to budget for ASUO and EMU building and equipment reserves
for 2003-04.
In the event of catastrophic damage to an ASUO- or EMU-owned building, reserve funds are used to repair damage and are replenished afterward using incidental fees. This measure would exclude replenishment from the 7 percent budget-increase limitation. Ballot Measure 12.2 allows the ASUO election to be held between February 1 and April 30 of each year.
ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said the measure is necessary because without the referendum process — which has prolonged student elections in the past — a short deadline is not needed.
Two measures that were slated for a vote– 14.4 and 14.6 — will not appear on the ballot.
ASUO Public Relations Director Lacy Ogan said the ASUO had to
resubmit the measures late in the week, which didn’t give enough
ime for the ASUO Constitution Court to rule before Hall needed
to finalize the election.
Ballot Measures 14.4 and 14.6 would have updated the ASUO Constitution to eliminate references to the referendum process.
Special election
Ballot Measure 1: Approval would give ASUO Programs
a one-time exemption to the
7 percent budget increase limitation to fully fund all ASUO and EMU building and equipment reserves for multiple ASUO programs in the
2003-2004 budget. The increase would be limited to 25 percent.
Ballot Measure 2: Approval would give the Athletic Department Finance Committee a one-time exemption to the 7 percent budget increase limitation to include two pre-school football games. The increase would be limited to 9.5 percent.
Ballot Measure 3: Approval would exclude funding of ASUO and EMU building and equipment reserves from the 7 percent calculation for the 2003-2004 budget, as well as when replenishing the funds after “catastrophic damage to any ASUO- or EMU-owned building.”
Ballot Measure 4: Approval would change the ASUO general election date to “no earlier than Feb. 1 and no later than Apr. 30 of each year.”
SOURCE: ASUO and ASUO Constitution Court
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