Volume 1, Issue 11 - May 10, 1979

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Volume 1, Issue 10 May 10, 1979

.AS.MSC ·ele·ctio·ns •

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by Emerson Schwartzkopf

Any winning candidate in this week's Associated Students of Metropolitan State College (ASMSC) elections may still find themselves without a position next year. Michelle Smith and John Meyer, disqualified candidates for ASMSC President ,. and Vice President, may take the election to court in protest of what they feel was an unfair process of disqualification. Smith and Meyer, disqualified twice by the ASMSC Election Commission last week, cited the elections as being "rendered by the student government into a big mess." l The commission disqualified the SmithMeyer ticket early last week upon discovery of Meyer's not attending two ·semesters at MSC - one of the qualifications for office. However, commissioners later were notified of Meyer's attending MSC for one quarter in 1973, prompting a second l ~ hearing last Friday. l • · During the second hearing, Smith argued the attendence of one quarter and one semester ~t MSC was a "reasonable" fulfillment of the qualifications. Election Commissioner Mike Priest noted one quarter and one semester add up only to 25 weeks, instead of 30 weeks ~completed under two semesters. Commissioner Wally Weston agreed with Priest, saying one quarter and one semester "in other areas of this college would not add up to three quarters or two semesters." The two semester qualification - stated in the ASMSC Constitution - came under ""( general questioning by Commissioner Scott Woodland. "l don't know how to interpret the constitution," Woodland said ...There's no

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judicial branch to do this." Both current ASMSC President Greg Gimelli and Vice President Dave Haldeman confessed error repeatedly throughout the hearing for the lack of appointments to the ASMSC judicial board, and possibly mismanagement of circumstances surrounding this week's elections. Smith cited the lack of complete copies of the new ASMSC constitution - amended in April 1978 - as causing further confusion in interpreting Meyer's eligibility. Haldeman cited cost as a prohibitive factor in printing revised constitutions, but the decision not to publish new constitutions "probably was a mistake, and I'd probably agree." In attempting to deal with the specific qualification in question - ''Two semesters of work" commission members split on the interpretation of "work" ... either meaning attendance or full-time hours completed. Haldeman said the question should be solved by the still-unappointed judicial board, but the decision would not come in time to have Smith and Meyer placed on the election ballot. "We should give-the benefit of doubt to the candidates (Smith and Meyer)," Haldeman said. Weston disagreed, however - "We have the rules right in front of us," he said. 0 Woodland made an initial motion -with .! : Haldeman seconding - placing Smith and co Meyer on the ballot. Priest amended the motion to have the judicial board - never appointed since its creation in April 1978 ~ - consider the case. 4> The motion passed three to one, with ~ Weston the only dissenting vote. ASMSC elections: secret ballot? continued on page 10


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Volume 1, Issue 11 - May 10, 1979 by Met Media - Issuu