2008 Woodie Awards
Taking the initiative
Student organization leads effort to amend ISU Constitution
Bengal Staff and Bob Devine
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: News
This past week, a group of ISU students filed a petition with ASISU, signed by 560 students, which proposes an amendment to the ASISU Constitution.
The amendment would include language and criteria allowing students to propose and pass initiatives and referendums. According to the current constitution, once the petition's signatures are verified then the ASISU Senate will schedule a vote, allowing students to either approve or reject the proposed amendment, which would need a 60 percent majority to pass.
The previous constitution passed in 1977 was replaced in January by a new constitution, but one of the earlier constitution's provisions giving students the power to petition for legislation was omitted from the new document. Former ASISU President Ryan Sargent said it appeared that it may have just been an oversight, as he was under the impression that it was in the new constitution. When notified that there was a process for amendments, but nothing for student initiatives, Sargent said that he believed it was there at one point in the process of developing the new constitution.
The grass root amendment effort began when the Idaho Progressive Student Alliance (IPSA) discussed the new constitution in late January at one of their meetings and noticed the language was missing. The group then decided to begin a petition for an amendment, which requires 400 signatures of ASISU members to be valid.
The signature drive began in late February, spearheaded by the efforts of Tom Briggs, Steve Saltzman and several other students, both members and non-members of IPSA. The group presented their initial signatures and petition to the ASISU Senate at the March 3 Senate meeting to give time for ASISU to prepare for the vote. According to Briggs, however, they soon realized there was a problem.
It was discovered that the language of the amendment could be interpreted in two ways, one of which would make it virtually impossible to pass an initiative. After a discussion, IPSA made the call to start over with slightly revised language and new signatures. The new signature drive began on Wednesday, March 5, and ended around noon on Friday, March 7, when Briggs and others from the IPSA submitted 560 new signatures to the ASISU Senate for verification.
Election Board chair Tyler Kendall said that once the signatures are verified, the Senate will determine when to have the vote, according to the ASISU Constitution's amendment process. According to the constitution, the text of the amendment needs to appear in the Bengal newspaper at least once before it goes to a vote. Kendall said he was prepared and had contacted the Bengal so that the language of the amendment could be in the paper this week if the Senate chooses to have the vote at the same time as the general elections next week.
The amendment would include language and criteria allowing students to propose and pass initiatives and referendums. According to the current constitution, once the petition's signatures are verified then the ASISU Senate will schedule a vote, allowing students to either approve or reject the proposed amendment, which would need a 60 percent majority to pass.
The previous constitution passed in 1977 was replaced in January by a new constitution, but one of the earlier constitution's provisions giving students the power to petition for legislation was omitted from the new document. Former ASISU President Ryan Sargent said it appeared that it may have just been an oversight, as he was under the impression that it was in the new constitution. When notified that there was a process for amendments, but nothing for student initiatives, Sargent said that he believed it was there at one point in the process of developing the new constitution.
The grass root amendment effort began when the Idaho Progressive Student Alliance (IPSA) discussed the new constitution in late January at one of their meetings and noticed the language was missing. The group then decided to begin a petition for an amendment, which requires 400 signatures of ASISU members to be valid.
The signature drive began in late February, spearheaded by the efforts of Tom Briggs, Steve Saltzman and several other students, both members and non-members of IPSA. The group presented their initial signatures and petition to the ASISU Senate at the March 3 Senate meeting to give time for ASISU to prepare for the vote. According to Briggs, however, they soon realized there was a problem.
It was discovered that the language of the amendment could be interpreted in two ways, one of which would make it virtually impossible to pass an initiative. After a discussion, IPSA made the call to start over with slightly revised language and new signatures. The new signature drive began on Wednesday, March 5, and ended around noon on Friday, March 7, when Briggs and others from the IPSA submitted 560 new signatures to the ASISU Senate for verification.
Election Board chair Tyler Kendall said that once the signatures are verified, the Senate will determine when to have the vote, according to the ASISU Constitution's amendment process. According to the constitution, the text of the amendment needs to appear in the Bengal newspaper at least once before it goes to a vote. Kendall said he was prepared and had contacted the Bengal so that the language of the amendment could be in the paper this week if the Senate chooses to have the vote at the same time as the general elections next week.
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