The Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate tabled their new election code for the second week in a row and began conversations surrounding campus safety initiatives.
Elections code
The senate was primarily concerned about the issue of campaign slating in the new election code. Slating would allow candidates to campaign together, if they are running on similar issues and platforms; however, they would have to be voted into their position individually.
The senate discussed in depth the pros and cons of allowing slating, and whether slating should be allowed for senate seats or only executive positions.
“I am pro-slating — I think it mimics the real governance structure that we see in our elections here in the US, in our communities,” At-Large Senator Eddie Barron said. “I think when you have bundled agendas, it’s easier to make sure that the executives who run together, are running on a shared vision.”
The ASUA Elections Commission voiced concerns that slating poses risks for marginalized candidates and how potential candidates’ platforms would still be evaluated individually.
“For the executive position, I see how we if members may have the same agenda because they are working towards the same goal, but when it comes to Senate, it’s good to have individuality,” At-Large Sen. Ariane Kometa said.
W.A. Franke Honors Sen. Aparna Chandrasekar proposed an amendment to the elections code verifying that executive candidates may run on the same slate, but senate candidates may not. All candidates will be voted on individually regardless of their slate.
“I think the bigger problem that we face is a high absentee rate,” Executive Vice President Benjamin Huffman said. “We want students to have that shared sense of ‘I actually know not only who I’m voting for, but what that largely means beyond the one individual.’”
The senate also highlighted the signature threshold that was discussed last week, saying that the new signature threshold for all colleges was lowered from 75 to 50. This means that a candidate only has to collect 50 signatures from students in their college to run for senate, reverting to the threshold used in the elections code two years ago.
The senate hopes this will encourage greater participation in elections, especially for candidates from smaller colleges. The senate also briefly talked about the requirements in place for candidates’ letters of recommendation, and whether these should be strictly from faculty or also from outside UA staff.
Safety campus measures
The senate also discussed a new campus safety initiative for pedestrian safety. College of Agriculture and Life Science Sen. Victoria Gallardo, in collaboration with Arizona Student Media, is calling on the City of Tucson to help make campus safer for pedestrians. This initiative is in light of the accident and loss of three student lives on Oct. 30.
President Adriana Grijalva added that the city is receiving input from students and the UA on where traffic lights are most needed on campus. The senate voted on this initiative, and these campus safety measures passed unanimously.
President’s privilege
Grijalva highlighted that the UA is currently hosting the Arizona Board of Regents and student representatives from ASU and NAU to share ideas on topics like campus safety and how ideas are enacted on their own respective campuses.
Additionally, Grijalva highlighted the open senator at-large position and the first year representative position, encouraging senators to get the word out.
