The Black Student Union has postponed its elections after the student organization identified discrepancies in its constitution and bylaws.
The BSU plans to hold a debate Monday, and the elections will be held May 2. The locations and times for the events are pending. Voting was supposed to be held today on PAWS from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
BSU President Ada Goodly said Winton Anderson, communication studies sophomore, is no longer eligible for the position of BSU president. She said Anderson was running unopposed and could not discuss the reasons for his ineligibility.
Anderson confirmed his ineligibility and said he has not scheduled enough hours to be a full-time student in the fall. He said he plans to schedule more hours at a later date.
“There weren’t any incidents or anything that really made me pull out,” he said.
Anderson said he was not upset about pulling out of the election. He said he plans to work with the executive board.
“I’m looking forward to working with them in a smaller capacity,” he said.
Barry Whittington, biology senior, and Robert Williams, marketing junior, may be disqualified from the election if an article in the bylaws concerning candidacy requirements is not suspended. Whittington and Williams are two of the four candidates running for vice president.
The BSU operates under its 2001 constitution, which is the most current version registered with the Center for Student Leadership and Involvement. CSLI oversees all official student organizations at the University.
“Any full-time student in active status with the Black Student Union, who is also in good scholastic and disciplinary standing according to University regulations, shall be eligible to run for and hold office in the Black Student Union,” the constitution reads.
The constitution’s bylaws also state that students must have previously served on the executive board to run for presidential or vice-presidential offices, but students may not currently be president or vice president if they are seeking office, according to the bylaws.
Goodly said she wants the general body to vote on suspending the article so only the presidential candidate has to have served on the executive board. She said they will decide Wednesday if the article concerning prior experience on the executive board should be suspended.
“I think that all of the candidates who applied to run should be able to run,” Goodly said.
Goodly said voting usually takes place in the African-American Cultural Center, but the organization decided to move the voting process to PAWS this semester. Voting is open to all full-time undergraduate students.
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon [email protected]