Student government tosses out election results; establishes temporary government for the fall
Members of the ASSC vote to abolish the election results.
John Glidden, Staff Writer
May 16, 2012
Filed under News, On campus, Politics
The Associated Students of Solano Community College (ASSC) senate, acting on the recommendation of the election committee, voted unanimously May 15 to discard recent election results and will hold another election in the fall semester.
“We cannot legitimately call it an election,” said Naser Baig, chair of the 2012 spring election committee and ASSC vice president. “Lack of information, and one honest mistake after another,” caused the legitimacy of the election results to be questioned, Baig told ASSC student government at their May 15 meeting.
“There are very real legal consequences if the results are ratified,” Baig said.
Baig explained to the student senate that it would only take one concerned member of the public to challenge the election results.
At the May 8 ASSC meeting, David Brannen, current Vallejo center community service officer, co-advisor to the ASSC student elections, and co-advisor to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, advocated that the ASSC throw out the recent election results due to a low student voter turn-out and mistakes made by the election committee.
Approximately 50 students voted in the election and three candidates ran uncontested. Arturo Castillo and Zack Sperow, ran for president and vice-president, respectively, and Kayla Salazar, ran for student trustee. All three currently hold ASSC positions.
After discarding the election results, the student senate adopted a new election calendar for the fall semester.
This calendar was approved by the ASSC election committee on May 14.
With no elected officers for the 2012-2013 academic year, the ASSC voted unanimously to establish a ‘select interim committee.’
According to the ASSC bylaws, the select interim committee is tasked with holding a general election during the fall semester so the students can vote for a student body president, vice-president, a student trustee, and legislative advocate to serve for the rest of the academic year (remainder of the fall semester, and all of the next spring semester).
Kristine Barruzo, ASSC president, nominated Baig for the position of chair of the select interim committee. The student senate ratified the nomination.
Before the ratification of Baig as the new chair of the select interim committee, Barruzo read a statement prepared by Brannen.
“Chair Naser Baig distinguished himself particularly in demonstrating leadership, ever the advocate for his colleagues. Chair Baig accepted full responsibility for all consequences arising from the 2012 election committee work for this semester,” Barruzo read.
“I also strongly recommend ASSC vice-president, Naser J. Baig, for appointment to chairmanship of the ASSC select interim committee,” Barruzo read.
To fill the rest of the select interim committee, Barruzo nominated Karl Pua, ASSC executive secretary; Laura Duran-Gomez, ASSC business services senator; Geff Freire, ASSC public relations officer; and Davis Mark Martinez, ASSC academic curriculum senator. The student senate ratified these nominations, as well.
Solano district governing board policy 1007 states, “The Student Trustee serves a one-year term commencing with the second Board meeting in May of each year.”
To comply with this policy, Barruzo nominated Kayla Salazar to the position of interim student trustee of ASSC. Salazar served as ASSC governing board representative for the spring semester, and was the lone candidate for the position of student trustee during the disavowed elections. The student senate approved her nomination.
Salazar will serve in the position until Oct. 2, 2012. Her first meeting as interim student trustee will be at the May 16 governing board meeting.
The new ASSC election calendar lists Oct. 2, 2012 as when the new ASSC president, vice-president, student trustee and legislative advocate of the ASSC will assume their respective offices.
Declaration of candidacy forms will be made available to students on Aug. 22, 2012.
