Wednesday, 5/14/97 Judicial Board refuses to formally hear
petition USAC: Bruin Democrats claim Students First! ad paid by
students funds
By Stefanie Wong Daily Bruin Contributor A Judicial Board
(J-Board) petitioned filed early Friday morning requesting an
investigation into the campaigning practices of Students First! was
denied a formal hearing by justices last night. The petition, which
was specifically targeted at a full page ad that appeared in the
Daily Bruin on May 7 and 8, asked for the impeachment of President
John Du and Academic Affairs Commissioner Max Espinoza for their
involvement in placing the ad. It also requested the
disqualification of all candidates associated with Students First!
and that students be refunded the cost of the ad from the slate’s
campaign funds. However, the petition filed by Bruin Democrat
members Angela Foster and Darrin Hurwitz – as representatives of
Students for Ethical Government – failed to receive the three votes
necessary to move onto a formal hearing. While the justices were
unavailable for comment, Chief Justice Eric Mah believed that a
formal hearing should have been held. "It’s an issue where the
petitioners went to the J-Board appealing an Election Board
decision," Mah said. "Just in virtue of the fact that the J-Board
is to be the appellate body of the Elections Board, it would be the
J-Board’s responsibility to hear the petitioner’s request. "I don’t
know the exact reasoning of each justice. It could be the case that
the J-Board wasn’t satisfied or didn’t find the petition acceptable
enough to be heard in a formal hearing," he added. However, members
of Students for Ethical Government alleged that the justices
elected not to hold a formal hearing because they are biased. "I
think it’s obvious that John Du stacked the J-Board to get the
desired result," said Bruin Libertarian President Justin Sobodash.
However, Du disagreed, saying that the J-Board is not biased
towards Students First! "It’s very interesting because (former)
justices (Jihad) Saleh and (James) Burkhardt were appointed by
Students First! and they also voted against Students First!" Du
said. "It’s an insult to the current J-Board members to assume that
they are partial because they voted against the unsubstantiated
claims made by (Students for Ethical Government)," he added. Some
members of Students First! are claiming that Students for Ethical
Government are objecting to the ad in light of the results of the
recent student government elections. "It’s quite ironic that the
groups who are crying ‘foul’ are the same groups who supported the
various opposition (slates) against Students First!" Du said.
However, Students for Ethical Government contend that the petition
was written before the election results were read early last Friday
morning, and is not in response to their collective losses. Though
Students for Ethical Government have been denied a hearing by the
J-Board, the group plans to find other means of finding recourse.
At Tuesday’s USAC meeting, Students for Ethical Government
presented their case to the council, hoping the council would
address their concerns. The meeting was standing room only with
approximately 75 people from Students for Ethical Government and
supporters of Students First! holding signs trying to discredit and
discourage their opposition. Tension built between the two groups
as cursing and personal attacks were exchanged during the 15-minute
discussion. While Students for Ethical Government sought action
from the council, none could be taken because the presentation was
not listed on the agenda as an action item. "The purpose (of the
presentation) was because Student First! members were intimately
involved," said Bruin Democrats President Wendy Felton. "We would
have preferred to try to resolve the issues with the people
directly involved." PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin USAC President John Du
surveys the mass of protesters who voiced disapproval over the
Judicial Board’s decision to not review a petition claiming that
Students First! used USAC money for advertising. Previous Daily
Bruin stories: USAC’s judge-and-jury tactics should be hung
Voters–that’s us–must put government under spotlight