Issues with special election

[BYLAWS cont. from pg. 1]

“Most of the senators do not know their bylaws nor are they familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order,” Skidmore said.

Skidmore said he was informed that the Academic Senate’s executive board discussed the error, and is now waiting for a decision.

The motion and succeeding lengthy discussion is only part of the ongoing debate on the succession of presidency, after former Senate president John Zayac resigned for personal reasons before he officially began his term.

“There are some members of the Senate who do not want to follow the bylaws, and they want to target the current sitting president,” Skidmore said. “You cannot arbitrarily ignore the bylaws.”

Kathy Oborn, current Academic Senate president, took the position after the group voted to recognize her as the rightful executive.

“Kathy Oborn is put in a bad situation. It’s a no-win situation for her,” Academic Senate member James McKeever said. “I really do believe she wants to do the right thing, but I don’t know if there’s a

News Briefs

Spring calendar online

The spring 2014 calendar is now available online. The spring semester begins Monday, Feb. 10.

Thanksgiving holiday [11/28 - 12/1]

The campus will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28 through Sunday, Dec. 1 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Classes will resume on Monday, Dec. 2. Farm Center celebrates [11/29 - 12/24]

The Pierce Farm Center Christmas Celebration runs from Friday, Nov. 29 to Tuesday, Dec. 24. Santa Claus will be on stage for pictures Monday to Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. and weekends from noon to 10 p.m. until Monday, Dec. 23. There will be five varieties of trees to purchase, a large model nativity scene and wagon rides.

Deadline approaches [11/30]

The deadline to apply for fall 2014 at CSUN is Saturday, Nov. 30 at 11:59 p.m. Students are encouraged to visit the Career & Transfer Center and meet with counselors to ensure correct transfer requirements. Extended clinic hours are available on Wednesday, Nov. 27 between 4:30 and 7 p.m.

Club to host panel [12/2]

The Feminist Club will be hosting a panel discussion addressing misconceptions about feminism with a question and answer session in The Great Hall on Monday, Dec. 2 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. For more information contact pierce.femclub@gmail.com.

P.A.C.E. hosts orientation [12/2]

The Program for Accelerated College Education will hold an orientation in The Great Hall on Monday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.

Library extends hours [12/9-12/15]

The library will be open for additional hours during the week before finals on Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pierce changes number proper path to get there.”

The college has introduced a new main phone number, (818) 710-4100.

The issue has brought to light problems with the group’s bylaws — the group’s book of laws — as well as the Senate’s unfamiliarity as a whole with Robert’s Rules of Order, a parliamentary procedural periodical.

“Sometimes it takes a crazy disaster like this to get people to think, ‘We need to update our bylaws,’” Holland said.

While the Bylaws Taskforce is currently working to make changes to the entire document in time for next semester, there are some senate members who are pushing just for a section on special elections to be given priority.

“Until we come to terms with that, it’s the white elephant in the room,” said Margarita Pillado, vice president of curriculum.

However, many members of the taskforce say that taking their time is important to ensure a thorough revision of the bylaws.

“You can’t just call for a special election. You have to give us a bit of time. Other people want to fix this and fix other problems later, but I say, ‘Why not do this right the first time even if it takes us a bit longer?’” said Anthony Gabrielli, Senate and Bylaws Taskforce member. “We need to go back and make it a coherent change that occurs. I don’t believe there is any debate on whether a special election should be included but it has to be formulated in a way that doesn’t affect the bylaws.”

Holland agrees with Gabrielli.

“This is something we should not do in haste because if we do it in haste it will come back to haunt us. It’s always appropriate to take more time than necessary to cross the T’s and dot I’s because bylaws are the rules of our group. If our bylaws are a mess we function as a mess,” she said.

There are also faculty members like Modern Language Department Chair Fernando Oleas, who don’t even think that the elections are ever going to happen in this situation.

“They just manipulate [the situation] not to hold elections,” he said.

Members of the taskforce say they are trying their best to get the process done as quickly as they can.

“Nobody on the task force is delaying or forestalling the process to get a special election,” Gabrielli said. “This isn’t going to take long if they just leave us alone.”

This is the first time the Senate has had to deal with problems like this, according to Holland, who has been active with the group since the late ‘90s.

“If at the end of the term, it would be a non-issue, but because it’s at the beginning of a two-year term it becomes more significant and much more meaningful to people,” she said.

McKeever describes the situation to be “like a tug of war.”

“People dig really deep in the trenches. We’re just going to pull and pull until it falls apart,” he said. “Because of this, it’s tearing the campus in two. It shouldn’t be that way. What’s really being lost is what we’re here for: educating students.”

Holland says that considering how long it is taking for the situation to blow over, it might take even longer for everyone to recover.

“It’s that explosive and crazy. It’s a disaster. You never recover from disasters immediately,” she said. “It takes time to reestablish relations and get back to where we can all work together.”

Finals schedule

Finals begin Monday, Dec. 9 and go through Sunday, Dec. 15.

Nov. 17 - Nov. 23 pierce college sheriff‘s station

11/18 - Missing person - The Los Angeles Police Department was looking for a missing male student who was later found off campus.

11/18 - Petty theft - A student’s iPhone was taken off of her desk. It was never found.

11/18 - Ill student - A student fainted in class and was taken to the hospital by a paramedic.

11/19 - Vandalism - A staff member reported graffiti in the men’s restroom on the second floor of the new library.

11/19 - Suspicious circumstances - Two males were harassing students on the campus Mall for money as they walked pass.

11/19 - Argument - An argument occurred between a student and staff member by Copytech.

11/21 - Petty theft - A student returned to class to pick up their laptop in Room 8402 after accidentally leaving it behind, but it was not there. Nothing was turned in to lost and found.

11/21 - Suspicious circumstances - A male was detained after he walked up to a female student and tried to kiss her. The matter is still under investigation.

11/21 - Verbal - An argument occurred between a student and staff member in the conference room of the Center for the Sciences Building.

11/21 - Disturbance - A student reported an argument between a math professor and one of his students during class.

11/22 - Disturbance - A student was causing a disturbance in the International Office demanding to be seen. The student was warned and advised by officers.

11/23 - Verbal - An argument occurred between two people over a parking situation by the cross-country track.

General