The ASUO Constitution Court on Tuesday denied four major ballot measures slated for the upcoming ASUO special election because of unclear language.
The special election, which will take place Oct. 28 and 29, includes an update to the ASUO Constitution and funding exemptions for the Programs Finance Committee and the Athletic Department Finance Committee.
According to the court’s opinion, Ballot Measure 6.15.1 violated an ASUO Constitution rule stating ballot measures must be worded in a “clear and objective fashion.”
In another separate opinion, the Court said Ballot Measures 6.15.2, 14.4 and 14.6 also violated the ASUO Constitution because they did not state a question.
ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said the ASUO has resubmitted all the measures that were rejected by the court.
“All of them got rejected — not because they are bad measures — but because they were either poorly worded or not in the right form,” she said.
Ballot Measure 6.15.1 would give PFC a one-time exemption to the 7 percent budget limitation to include ASUO programs previously funded via ballot measures. The referendum system that allowed groups to receive incidental fees via ballot measure was changed last year in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Ballot Measure 6.15.2 would give the ADFC a one-time exemption to include two pre-season football games in the budget. The increase would be capped at 9.5 percent.
Pre-season football tickets are usually paid with the budget surplus or McArthur Court fund; however, neither funding source can afford the tickets in 2003-04.
Pilliod said the increases would likely not increase the amount students pay in incidental fees, especially if enrollment increases. To help offset the increase, the ASUO is also planning to recommend a $5 increase in summer incidental fees if the measures pass.
Ballot Measures 14.6 and 14.4 would update the ASUO Constitution to reflect earlier changes to the Clark Document made when the referendum process
was removed.
Pilliod said if the ASUO Constitution remains unchanged, the ASUO could lose the ability to set student fees — a power that would default to University President Dave Frohnmayer.
Student Senate Ombudsman Andrew
Elliott said it would be better if the two documents matched to avoid confusion, adding that most students just read the ASUO
Constitution.
“If an average student comes along and reads the ASUO Constitution, it would be nice if it was true,” he said.
ASUO special election
ASUO resubmitted two ballot measures to the Constitution Court after they were denied:
Revised Ballot Measure 6.15.1: Shall ASUO
Constitution be changed to include the following language?
Measure reads:
For the 2003-04 budget, the ASUO Programs will receive a one-time exemption to the 7 percent limitation to allow for the inclusion of programs and services that were previously funded via ballot measure. For the 2003-04 budget, the ASUO will be limited to 25 percent.
Revised Ballot Measure 6.15.2: Shall ASUO
Constitution be changed to include the following language?
Measure reads:
For the 2003-04 budget, the Athletic Department Finance Committee will receive a one-time exemption to the 7 percent budget increase limitation to allow for the inclusion of two pre-school football games. For the 2003-04 budget, the (ADFC) budget increase will be limited to 9.5 percent.
SOURCE: ASUO
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