“They are unnecessarily prejudicial,” said incoming CCSGA Executive VP Jack Regenbogen about new requirements that would restrict many students from running for CCSGA President.
This week, CCSGA instated a number of rules that would govern who is allowed to run for President.
Candidates must now serve on CCSGA for two years prior to running, whereas it was previously only one year (and even then the Election Commission could waive that requirement). The real change, however, is what happens when candidates haven’t fulfilled that requirement. This year, for example, none of the candidates did.
If a candidate has not served for two years he or she must be approved by both the CCSGA advisor and the Associate Dean of Students, have been present on campus for two full academic years and be judged by the Election Commission (a group consisting of CCSGA members, the Constitutional VP and members of the Honor Council) to have demonstrated leadership and involvement during their time at CC. However, the Election Commission reserves the right to waive any of these requirements.
The idea behind this change, said current CCSGA President Angela Cobian, was, “To create specific guidelines for the Election Commission to use when Presidential Candidates do not meet the current standards in the constitution.”
In this year’s recent election, for example, no presidential candidate had been part of CCSGA previously, but each was determined eligible because they cared about and understood CC.
The Commission stated that the new qualifications were meant to provide structure to the eligibility process but it is unclear why the Commission retained the ability to enforce the qualifications at will.
The qualifications are stated in their full text below:
- Candidate must have been present on campus two full academic years.
- Candidate must have demonstrated leadership and involvement during their time at Colorado College.
- Candidate must meet with the CCSGA advisor for approval.
- Candidate must meet with the Associate Dean of Students for approval.
- A candidate for CCSGA President must meet ALL qualifications for his/her name to appear on ballot.
The incoming CCSGA President, Ben Quam, however, expressed skepticism.
“Student government means that representatives are chosen by student voters, not the CC administration,” said Quam. “These new bylaws allow the administration to veto students who want to be CCSGA president. I have faith in CC students to decide who is most capable of representing them.”
In contrast to the incoming Quam and Regenbogen, Cobian expressed that the restrictions would help CCSGA better serve the student body.
“I think these bylaws are an excellent idea because they provide specific criteria necessary for Presidential Candidates, and they further continue the professionalization of the CCSGA,” she said. “The scope and responsibility of the CCSGA President has increased dramatically in recent years. Management of the Student Activity Fee and respected leadership have made CCSGA key players in college policy. Thus, the President has to be able to work directly with the board of trustees, have been at CC long enough to have keen insight on the student body, and also be able to know who to develop relationships with on campus.”
Current CCSGA Constitutional VP Sarai Ornelas shared Cobian’s sentiments. “This is not meant to be elitist; this is just for the position of the president,” she said, “The strict qualifications for candidacy only apply to the presidential elections.” She also emphasized that while there may be new bylaws, the final decision for eligibility lies within the hands of the Constitutional Committee.
“This is disappointing,” said Regenbogen. “I respect the intentions behind what they’re trying to do, but I disagree with their methods.”
He hopes to address this new bylaw and make changes when he and Ben Quam serve, respectively, as Vice President and President of the CCSGA.
He said he doesn’t believe that it’s okay for freshman to be eliminated from the elections just because of their age and that the restrictions will make CCSGA less inclusive. When Regenbogen brought this up at the CCSGA Full Council meeting, he said no one seemed to respect his opinion.
Only one member of the CCSGA voted against the new bylaws.
Alex Kronman 