It’s only the second day of filing for Student Government elections, and a candidate already has been disqualified and allowed to file again by a granted injunction.
It’s at times like these that SG’s judicial branch power becomes evident. They have the authority to decide who can run in an election before the election even begins. This division of SG operates much like an internal review board does — it has a say in what’s OK and what’s not.
I think that’s great. That’s why we have a system of checks and balances. But this section of SG has problem areas worth noting.
First, several judicial branch members have personal connections with others and the process that could impair their ability to make decisions fairly.
For example, the trial court justice is expected to file to run for SG president. This same person is the one who granted an injunction to suspend temporarily the unanimous Election Board decision. Can this justice truly make an unbiased decision? No. No one is without bias. Is his decision right or wrong? It’s not up to me to decide. But if he’s supposed to be coming from the fairest position and perspective, he’s not because of his possible campaign intentions.
Furthermore, if the Election Board or the plaintiffs decide to appeal this decision to the University Court, several issues exist there. Some justices either have attended one of the potential candidate’s ticket meetings, have relatives running on a ticket or are in the same Greek organization as a potential candidate.
By the University Rules of Court, justices have to recuse, or remove themselves, from the case, if they have a relationship or close association with any of the parties in the case. Some people automatically would be eliminated, and others would have to make that decision for themselves.
This also concerns me. Will these justices make the best decision in this case? Will they make the fairest decision?
It’s disconcerting. Seven justices comprise the University Court, four elected and three appointed by the SG president. Two justices are elected each fall and spring — two of only six positions to be voted on by the entire student body.
SG President Darrell Broussard said his appointees are well-qualified people whom he recommended and the Senate approved. The elected justices automatically are put into office after the elections.
In theory, these people are highly qualified campus leaders. Yet with busy lives and leadership roles in other organizations, they fail to meet regularly because of conflicting schedules. So, if they don’t meet regularly, can they truly have familiarity with and understanding and knowledge of all laws applicable, for example, the Election Code and the Rules of Court? There is no structure in place to ensure justices know these codes. It seems highly unlikely they would.
I’m concerned about the outcome of this situation. The disqualified candidate is in the top leadership position of the Senate. I can’t speak on behalf of his qualifications, but I am concerned the situation is resolved in the most just manner. The appearance of impropriety and connections influencing decisions is just as bad as that happening in reality.
But, to step back a minute from the situation at hand, most people in the judicial branch have connections with those in the other two branches. To get appointed to the University Court, a person would have to first, know about the appointment and second, be forward enough to approach the president about this appointment, unless the president were to approach the person.
My point is it seems there are thousands of other people on this campus who have no connection with SG. Why can’t these people be the ones who are brought in, educated about its rules, participate as fairly as possible and then go back to their other lives? We are lucky enough to have a top-notch law school on our campus. Why not use some of its students who are familiar with laws and could more fairly and accurately interpret SG rules? A relationship should in some ways exist with the other two branches, but not such an incestuous one in which decisions can’t be made because of their connections with other people.
I understand the leadership on this campus is a relatively small community. But there is no reason why this situation should be as political as it is. It doesn’t seem to be completely fair, one way or the other.
Judicial branch reform is something potential SG candidates should look at when considering their tickets, appointments and platforms in the future.
Email sent by Jay Buller
As the semester presses on and spring approaches, it is time to begin considering candidates for the upcoming Student Government election. Currently, three different tickets have been initiated. While all the tickets will most likely include some Greek members, the Buller/Lay ticket is looking to emphasize strong support from our outstanding Greek community at LSU.
Student Government deals directly with many issues that concern the Greek community. It is vital that a strong Greek presence be found in various Student Government positions in order to insure fair and balanced representation of the Greek community. Issues include student organization seating at football games, Greek housing and the implementation of the Master Plan (as you probably know, some houses are left off the Master Plan), and a multitude of other issues that are important to the Greek community. While we are looking for support from individuals in every college on campus, we are currently looking to recruit heavily from UCAC and the College of Arts & Sciences. If someone is interested in running but all positions in that college have been filled, we would me more than happy to possibly accommodate that individual in a staff position.
If any members of your chapter are interested in running for a Student Government position or would like to help support the Buller/Lay campaign or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jay Buller ([email protected]) or Robert Lay ([email protected]). Also, we would like to ask that you disseminate this information to all your chapter members as we try to gather as much support for our campaign as possible.
We look forward to receiving your recommendations and the opportunity to meet those people interested in helping support our campaign! Please keep in mind filing starts on March 12 and we need a response as soon as possible!
Respectfully,
Jay Buller
Robert Lay