Election rules may see change
Those planning to run for an ASUSU position this year may need to abide by election legislation changes, said Lacey Nagao, USU public relations director.
Nagao has been working on changing election legislation with the addition of a few new bylaws, she said. The changes may involve a grade point average increase, mandatory meetings, an ethical concern and grievances.
Nagao said that she is recommending a change from the required 2.5 GPA to a 3.0 cumulative GPA because other student leaders, including USU ambassadors and A-Team members, require that standard of academics. She also proposed the use of mandatory meetings to eliminate confusion and only take serious candidates. Ethical concerns will address the popular use of handing out coupons as part of a campaign. Nagao said she received complaints from students claiming that local campaigners had the advantage due to better connections with businesses and implied this was favoritism. Nagao is proposing that coupons be allowed but now must be allocated in the campaigner’s total allowed budget.
Tolson asked the council how many handed out coupons during elections and how many council members were from the local area.
When less than half said they were from the Logan area, Tolson said, “I don’t believe locals have an advantage.”
Nagao said ideas for the changes came from last year’s student advocate vice president, Tyler Haws, along with complaints and comments she has received from students.
ASUSU President Tyler Tolson opened a discussion to allow council members to give Nagao feedback regarding the bylaws. Council members asked about current rules and regulations including the allowance of social media to promote a campaign. Nagao said social media use will continue to be a part of campaigning because it would be hard to regulate and said eliminating the use of social networking would only set elections back.
Also during the discussion section, Nagao said she would like to create a judicial board to deal with grievances for elections. Currently a grievance board is created by the public relations director, who also promotes elections. Nagao said this posed a possible conflict of interest. She said she has been working with the USU judicial board along with adviser Krystin Deschamps to create the new board. Deschamps will oversee the new board and appoint three students to serve along with the ASUSU student advocate, executive vice president, and academic senate vice president.
Executive Assistant Keenan Nuehring said proposed concerns and ideas should be e-mailed to Nagao so she could address all of them in a more efficient manner and at a following meeting.
Nagao said elections are scheduled to take place Feb. 22-25.
– jessie.a.sweat@aggiemail.usu.edu