ASUO Vice President Getachew Kassa said yesterday that he is again searching for a candidate to fill the elections board coordinator position, and despite the dissension of some senators, he is planning on retaining the position on executive staff.
Senate rejected nominee Ian Rocker at Wednesday’s meeting, citing his lack of experience and concern regarding his ability to take charge.
At the meeting, Kassa offered support for Rocker’s nomination.
“We find him to be a person to stay calm in heated situations,” he said, “and he has the ability to build a cohesive team and look past his own opinions and to the board for help.”
When senators began questioning the elections board coordinator’s inclusion on executive staff, Kassa said it was unfair to “vote an appointment down because of the structure” of the elections board.
“While the exec and Senate have different opinions on the role, it shouldn’t have an effect on any applicant,” he said.
Rocker’s confirmation was rejected in a vote, with three senators for him, 11 against and two abstaining from the vote.
When asked to define the elections board, Rocker called the board a “bastion of neutrality and objectivity.”
“Elections are an incredibly important process,” he said. “Candidates and voters need someone who’s accountable with objective rules, and no hitches in those rules.”
Sen. Hailey Sheldon questioned his ability to create and carry out rules and to deal with a lot of angry people.
“There are rules for elections board, and you make those rules,” Sheldon said. “I’m wondering how you feel and what your plan is for not, just as you’ve mentioned, following rules but actually being proactive with people, people being extremely rude. Are you going to be able to handle these situations?”
Rocker responded by saying he would be empathetic and sympathetic to all parties involved.
“I have no problem being firm with both my own policies and the policies of the ASUO,” he said. He said he would implement weekly meetings with staff of the slate to create an open dialogue with everyone involved.
Kassa plans to address the concerns of senators by looking for applicants who have more experience with ASUO elections, but he says it will come down to who applies and who is the most qualified.
“It’s a tricky balance between giving students an opportunity and also having experience,” he said on Monday. “Emma and I still stand behind our choice of Ian. The learning curve is high in this job, and (Rocker) could have easily met that.”
The controversy around the elections coordinator position is rooted in last year’s elections, when the elections board was essentially deemed powerless when the University administration overturned its rulings.
Sen. Nick Schultz interned with Vice President of Student Affairs Robin Holmes this summer, along with previous Elections Board Coordinator Aaron Tuttle. During that time, they created a proposal for elections board rules and moved the body to be under the
Constitution Court.
Dean of Students Paul Shang, who has attended all Senate meetings thus far this year, including those in the summer, said he found the discussion interesting and even prompted him to do more research into the history of the position and the board.
“Across the country, ‘elections board’ or ‘elections officer’ is usually under the executive,” Shang said. He said the arguments were reasonable based on the importance of the position.
“The cabinet position has responsibilities to make sure the elections go fairly and smoothly,” he said. “That is my intention as well.”
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Search continues for elections coordinator
Daily Emerald
November 9, 2009
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