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Associated Students of the University of Washington |
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A Resolution Concerning ASUW Elections and the EAC Chair WHEREAS Taylor Newbold was appointed ASUW Elections Administration Committee chair by the Board of Directors on November 29, 2007 [1]; and
WHEREAS the position of ASUW EAC Chair is responsible for the organization of forums to be sponsored by the EAC, one in conjunction with the Student Senate and one at the Ethnic Cultural Center; and
WHEREAS it is clear that the purpose of facilitating a forum at the Ethnic Cultural Center / Theater is to allow members of the community which is at the Ethnic Cultural Center / Theater to attend the forum and take part in the discussions that help disseminate information about candidates to voters; and
WHEREAS the ECC/T forum this year was scheduled on May 7, 2008 at 6 PM; and
WHEREAS May 7 is not only a Wednesday, when groups who meet at the ECC/T often schedule their weekly meetings, but also the date of an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Office of Minority Affairs / Diversity (OMA/D); and
WHEREAS scheduling the forum during these events shows disrespect to an important campus community by forcing students to choose between the celebration and the forum; and
WHEREAS in addition, the EAC did not arrive until 45 minutes after the scheduled start time of the forum, and initially did not accept questions related to the forum itself (which were also related to the respect shown by the ASUW to underrepresented campus communities), compounding the problem; and
WHEREAS this problem is not limited to the current EAC Chair, but is systemic in the conduct of ASUW Elections, which has a forum at the ECC/T that is consistently poorly attended due to lack of outreach to the underrepresented communities that are served by the ECC; therefore BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: THAT the Associated Students of the University of Washington condemns the insensitive actions of the EAC Chair this year in the strongest of terms; and
THAT the Associated Students of the University of Washington apologizes for the way in which an employee of the Association represented the Association at and prior to the ECC/T forum; and
THAT future ASUW EAC Chairs should work with the OMA/D Student Advisory Board to coordinate a well-attended forum at the ECC/T; and
THAT the ASUW pledges to resolve these issues in the hiring of future EAC Chairs, to ensure that all forums are facilitated well, well-attended, and conducted in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of the communities the forums are designed to serve.
[1] Board of Directors Bill 2.45 (107th Session), Retrieved From http://records.asuw.org/Documents/Board%20of%20Directors/0708%20Board%20of%20Directors%20Bills/20071129-BOD_Bill_2.45:_To_Hire_the_Elections_Administration_Committee_Chair.pdf History of Legislation 05/16/2008: Submitted for consideration |
Legislation ID: Date Submitted: Sponsor: Cosponsor(s):
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