The Judicial Board voted to table its decision in a hearing concerning the Undergraduate Students Association Council until Friday, when Student Body President Marwa Kaisey will be given a chance to present.
The six student justices met Monday night to hear the case, filed by Financial Supports Commissioner Shaun Doria and Facilities Commissioner PC Zai against External Vice President Tina Park.
Doria and Zai allege that Park violated USAC bylaws by taking UCLA students to conferences without getting them approved by the council.
Both parties were present at the hearing, and Park brought Lucero Chavez, who works in the office of the external vice president, as her co-counsel.
But the case was tabled so that Kaisey will have a chance to present on her experience at conferences and the role delegates play, and Parks’ actions involving Kaisey’s appointees last summer.
At the beginning of the meeting the respondents, Park and Chavez, were given the opportunity to petition for the justices to dismiss the case.
Chavez argued that the case should be dismissed because it was not within the jurisdiction of the Judicial Board and instead should be given to the Constitutional Rights Committee. She also said there had been a breach of confidentiality because Doria had e-mailed out a press release about the petition before the justices had agreed to hear the case.
After over an hour of private debate the justices returned, and Chief Justice Aaron Israel announced they had decided to hear the case, as it was within their jurisdiction and because the e-mail was not sent by any of the judges, none of the justices had breached confidentiality.
Both sides had 30 minutes to argue their cases, not including time used to answer questions from the justices, with the petitioners speaking first.
At the heart of the case is the issue of whether the students Park took with her to the conferences constitute “representatives” of the council, which, according to the bylaws, must be approved by USAC.
Chavez pointed out the difference between representatives and delegates. Both can attend conferences and can speak and help draft legislation, but, Chavez said, delegates have no more power than any other UCLA student wanting to attend. Delegates speak on behalf of themselves whereas representatives speak on behalf of the council. Park chooses the students who will be able to vote at the conferences.
Doria spoke for the petitioners, contending that because the external vice president’s work has immediate impact on all students, picking conference representatives is extremely important.
“They are not small positions. The representatives sit on committees that represent UCLA as a whole,” he said.
He added that by going with the external vice president the representatives receive benefits, including travel paid for by USAC, and added credibility because they are attending the conference with a USAC member.
“They carry many special privileges and have much more power than normal UCLA students,” he said.
Doria also said the external vice president was not getting a diverse enough group of students to attend the conferences.
Park said she does get a diverse group by recruiting students to attend conferences through advertising in classes and on the residential Hill.
“We try to make it as easy as possible for students to attend,” she said.
Park also mentioned that she had always found ways to bring every student who was interested to a conference.