ISC president proposes new seat in ASUSU executive council
A bill proposing the creation of a new position on the ASUSU executive council was presented at Tuesday’s council meeting. International Student Council President (ISC) Christian Orr presented the bill along with bill sponsors Trevor Nelson, graduate student vice president, and Brent Crosby, executive vice president.
The passage of the bill would allow for an elected international vice president to sit on the ASUSU executive council and act as International Student Council President. The bill states that currently 1 of every 16 students on the Utah State University main campus are international students. Orr confirmed this number is actually 1 of 14.5 students and said it is consistently becoming smaller as the international student population grows. Orr said with a large student population, more direct representation is necessary and currently absent.
The bill states international student needs are different than that of sub-cultures and U.S. minorities and cannot be met by sharing one representative, the diversity vice president. The position would also remove budget stewardship from the diversity vice president and claim stewardship over cultural and ethnic orgnizations that are not U.S. Minorities. The bill also states that integration between ASUSU sponsored events and international events rarely occurs. If the position were created, the bill requires that equal rights and privileges be given to the position as well as being integrated into Spring 2011 elections. However, only international students will vote to elect the new position.
After the bill was presented to the council, President Tyler Tolson opened up a council discussion. Orr was also invited to sit in and discuss.
Questions asked inquired about sole election versus entire student body and if there was valid reasoning for a diversity chair as well as an international chair.
Academic Senate President Tanner Wright asked, “Can’t they work together toward the same goal?”
Orr said by not representing international students, the ISC’s purpose changes not only socially, but legally and culturally because they are not set apart from the rest of the student body.
Council members turned to Diversity Vice President Kaho Fiefia for his input.
“I don’t necessarily see real responsibility for a new position,” he said.
Fiefia also said that with stewardship of the International Student Council’s $8,000 budget, he tries to collaborate with the ISC as much as he can despite communication being “not been the best.” Fiefia said the ISC needs to put more of an effort into working more closely with the executive council before a real need for a new position can be seen.
Fiefia said he attempted to have an ISC member fill a position on his committee but alternatively had to find other international representation when he never heard back from the ISC. Orr said he personally wanted to fill the position on Fiefia’s committee but was told it had already been filled.
The issue of communication between the ASUSU executive council and the ISC was heavily discussed, especially with scheduling of events.
Nelson, who supports the bill despite ongoing discussion about the possible elimination of the graduate VP position, said he doesn’t see a large turnout at ISC events from ASUSU and said there doesn’t seem to be enough representation.
After further discussion, it was moved that the bill be modified to create an ex officio, or non-voting position be created for ISC representation on the executive council. There are currently members of executive council who don’t have voting privileges, such as the administrative assistant and the academic senate liaison.
Orr said an ex officio position would be a direct contrast to the bill’s original intent.
The vote was not unanimous, but the motion was passed by the majority of the council.
The bill will now be revised by a committee to create a position ex officio. Tolson asked Programming VP Tom Atwood to chair the committee, which will also incude Fiefia, the bill’s sponsors and student advocate Dan Ricks.
After the meeting, Orr said, “The students are not being represented, their money is being told how to be used by a completely separate cultural ethnic group that has conflict of interest. That’s foolish and unjust and contrary to the mission of the school.”
The revised bill will be voted upon at a later meeting after the Thanksgiving break. ASUSU Executive Council will not meet Tuesday, Nov. 23.
– jessie.a.sweat@aggiemail.usu.edu