ASUCC election and constitutional amendments on the 2021-22 ballot

Published by J.R. Williams on

Apply your student rights by voting before May 14, 2021.
Photo provided by Pixabay

ASUCC election and constitutional amendments on the 2021-22 ballot

Students can now vote using a Canvas shell for next school year’s ASUCC student government leaders and proposed amendments to the ASUCC constitution are also currently available for review and voting.

The current ASUCC Vice President, Ella Rader, seeks student support to be re-elected next school year.
Photo provided by Ella Radar

“UCC’s shared governance model ensures students are represented on its key councils and committees as well many others not directly in the structure.  ASUCC Leadership members are often those students representing students’ voices and the student experience. This is one reason it is important to have students in those leadership roles,” Marjan Coester said in a virtual interview.

ASUCC leadership is comprised of five officers and multi-senator team that serve the campus community.  The goal of ASUCC Leadership is to educate and inform students about administrative or legislative policies directly affecting students.  ASUCC leadership also seeks to foster community through sponsoring campus activities and provides opportunities for student networking, guidance and leadership skill development.

To vote, students must accept the invitation in the banner of Canvas starting May 10 at 9 am. Voting closes May 14th at 6 pm.

Two candidates are currently listed for student votes in the 2021-22 student government election.

Amanda Cerda, the 2021-2022 ASUCC Business Manager candidate, runs unopposed and seeks the support of other students.
Photo provided by Amanda Cerda

The candidate for ASUCC Vice President is Ella Rader, a student working toward her AAOT and the current ASUCC vice president. The second candidate is Amanda Cerda, a Human Services major and Phi Theta Kappa member who is running for business manager. No candidates are currently running in opposition of Rader and Cerda. 

No candidates are currently running for the positions of president, activities officer, or public relations officer.

This year, in addition to voting for the 2021-22 ASUCC Board, students are asked to vote on six amendments to the ASUCC Constitution. 

The first of the proposed amendmentchanges the minimum number of present members needed to vote, allowing a final count to be made via email in special circumstances such as a pandemic.  This allows the student body leaders to continue to function efficiently under emergency measures.

The second proposed amendment on the ballot proposes a break from meeting the first week of term, allowing for members and students to get oriented in their academics before engaging in student government responsibilities. 

The third and fourth proposed amendment transfers power from the UCC vice president to the dean of students and subsequent leadership in cases of conflict of interest. This seat is more actively engaged with the student body daily. 

For students who want in their vote, ASUCC constitutional amendments are found on the 21-22 voting ballot.
Photo provided by Pixabay

Proposed amendment five lowers the enrollment requirement for executive council members, allowing part time students to participate in student government. This opens networking and skill building opportunities to a wider range of students.

The final amendment adds a section outlining a procedure for ASUCC in selecting commencement speakers and an elections review committee. It also specifies responsible chairs within the election review committee.

Leadership board positions that aren’t filled go from a voting process to an appointment process.  An internal search is conducted offering the position to interested senators. If the position remains unfilled, then the position is opened to other clubs. After that, it opens to the general student body, and a representative is chosen via an application and interview process. 

The president position can be filled by vice president if they choose to accept the seat. The vice president position would then be open for appointment internally following a similar process to other leadership board positions.

Senator seats are filled by appointment year-round; students can apply via online application from the ASUCC website

Additionally, students are able to submit their nominations for Student Selected Faculty of the Year.  Voting is now open through 6 pm, May 14, and it can be done through the same Canvas shell link and ballot. 

For help or more information contact Marjan Coester – (ASUCC Advisor), 541-440-7749, marjan.coester@umpqua.edu or UCCOnline -(Managing the election in Canvas), 541-440-7685 – ucconline@umpqua.edu

Contact me at:
UCCMainstream@yahoo.com

For more articles by J.R. Williams please click here.