With the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections
well under way, former commissioners and current candidates discuss
the the nature of commissions and whether it should be changed.
Candidates, regardless of position, have the choice of either
running under a slate or independently.
Typically, a commissioner’s responsibility is not
politically oriented, yet slates sometimes run commissioners. This
year, four out of the nine commissioner candidates are running
independently.
Because a commissioner’s job is not inherently political,
some question whether commissioners should have a vote on council.
Currently, commissions are able to vote on the table.
For there to be a majority on council more than six voting
members are needed.
Jason Gaulton, current campus events commissioner, said if there
is a need for votes on council, commissions are a logical and
satisfactory place to look.
Gaulton also added that simply because commissions are
independent, it does not mean that they are unqualified to vote.
Commissioners can bring their “open minds” to council,
he said.
Current Student Welfare Commissioner Janet Chiang, also believes
that it is advantageous that commissions cast their vote on
council.
“It is definitely an advantage for council to have
independent views to be able to critically examine both sides of
each issue without having to feel loyal to one slate or
another,” Chiang said.
She added that commissions should not run under slates only so a
slate can have a majority vote in council.
Gaulton, who is also running independently for campus events
commissioner in this year’s election, said when a
commissioner is independent they don’t have to answer to
anyone outside of the commission and the student body.
“You are not responsible for what (the slate is) trying to
set forth,” Gaulton added.
One disadvantage of running independently is that independent
candidates do not get the support that candidates running under a
slate do during elections.
Like Gaulton, Erica Husse, current Financial Supports
commissioner, believes the only advantage of running under a slate
is increasing the chances of being elected.
“Once you get elected into office, there is no advantage
to being on a slate. … It works as a disadvantage,” Husse
said.
Husse, who ran last year under Students United for Reform and
Equality, currently considers herself independent and is in the
process of making the financial supports commission
independent.
A major disadvantage, Husse said, is the missing transitional
period, when the current commissioner passes down information to
the newly elected commissioner.
Though the Financial Supports commission focuses on financial
concerns, not politics, when the office changes from one slate to
another, most programs don’t get carried over, she said.
“I had to start from scratch … (It) doesn’t make
sense to lose it every year … (and) makes it less
successful,” Husse said.
Husse said independent commissions have an easier time
co-programming in the beginning of the year because they work
autonomously from council while politicized commissions experience
greater difficulty due to the possible clash of slates.
The Financial Supports commission is one of three commissions
that has been affiliated with a slate in the past.
Peter Bautista, running independently for Financial Support
commissioner in this year’s elections, said he would bring
independence to the commission.
“The commission needs to be independent because we have
people on that commission (whose) main goal is to help students
with limited financial resources and not just somebody who will be
the swing voter on council,” Bautista said.
But, Alex Gruenberg, also running for Financial Supports
commissioner under the Equal Access Coalition, said it is
advantageous to run with a slate because he shares a vision with
his slate members for USAC as a whole.
“I think above whether it’s independent or slate
run, what is most important is the quality and leadership
experience of the candidate running,” Gruenberg said.
“Just because someone is independent does not mean they are
the most qualified for that position.”