4A - Wednesday, March 24, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com JE 1Jtdigan 3a4 y Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu MIKE RORRO I Say yes to a new student constitution . JACOB SMILOVITZ EDITOR IN CHIEF RACHEL VAN GILDER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MATT AARONSON MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illus- trations represent solely the views of their authors. Vote Armstrong, Raymond Benson, Goldberg have clear goals for LSA-SG Tangibility. It seems to be the buzzword in this year's elections for the Michigan Student Assembly and the LSA Student Govern- ment. As polls open today, students are suffering from a loss of faith in MSA, and many are unaware of the work of LSA-SG. For LSA- SG, progress hinges on the creation of funds and clear strategies. And to make MSA a valuable use of students' money, its leaders must overcome students' negative perceptions of the assembly grown from years of scan- dal and a litany of institutional failures to produce real results for the campus community. Today, elections begin for the Michigan Student Assem- bly and your school or college government. If you've read the candidate statements, your vote may hinge on who has the most experience, who would do the best job or even - in the case of at least one past MSA election - which can- didate handed you a free Coke on the Diag. It's more likely that you're notplanningto vote at all. You pay for student government, but you may feel like little of that money comes back to you, personally. Student govern- ment is difficult to follow, nobody seems to know who is in charge and it doesn't create camaraderie across disciplines. But today when you log on to vote, alongside seats for school and college representatives and MSA president, you'll find MSA Ballot Question One. The ballot asks students to replace the existing student constitution with a new version proposed by Students for Progressive Governance. S4PG is an organization of University undergradu- ate, graduate and professional students who have spent the last year reviewing and redrafting the current stu- dent constitution. S4PG's proposal would fundamentally change student government in three principal ways. First, the new constitution would provide every stu- dent with greater access to the student budget. Every semester, each student pays $7.19 to University-wide stu- dent programming. That money goes to MSA, where it is divided and doled out to organizations and commissions most of us have little contact with. The new constitution would create the University Council - a body in which school and college government representatives can call for a vote on any resolution pro- posed by their constituents. If the Council approves the resolution, it will be put before MSA for consideration. That means that if you want access to the University's student programming budget, anyone on your school or college government can help you get it. The new constitution would also improve clarity and accountability in student government. MSA's current organizational structure is a mishmash of overlapping duties and prerogatives. When something goes wrong, nobody is held responsible. Now go to S4PG.info and look at the organization charts created by the new constitution. The charts look cut-and-pasted from your 7th-grade social studies text- book: a two-chambered legislature, a unitary executive, and an independent judiciary. And there's a reason for this. We want government to be familiar to students and approachable. We want you to know who to call or e-mail when things go wrong and who to re-elect when things go right. Third, the new constitution would encourage greater collaboration among students across campus. The Uni- versity Council would simultaneously concentrate and disperse the best ideas and practices from student govern- ments across campus. A more democratic student judicia- ry will incorporate a greater range of student voices. And clearer executive authority over University commissions will maximize efficiency in student programming. Unavoidably, the new constitution has flaws, too. It was created by a diverse, dedicated collection of students, but when such a collection convenes for the benefit of their joint wisdom, it must accept the biases, local interests and errors in judgment of the members, too. There is no doubt S4PG made several such errors. But this constitutions weaknesses are no match for its vir- tues: access, clarity, and collaboration. See for yourself - log on to S4PG.info. Read the current constitution and the changes proposed by S4PG. Then go to vote.umich. edu and cast your ballot. Vote yes on MSA Ballot Question One, and you'll have more accessible, more accountable and more collabora- tive student government. Mike Rarro is the chair of Students for Progressive Governance and MSA vice president. 0 The past year has seen a breakdown of students' trust in MSA. In November, a special investigation by the Daily exposed MSA's illegal practice of appointing stu- dent representatives to the Department of Public Safety Oversight Committee. Short- ly thereafter, the Central Student Judi- ciary, campus's leading judicial body, ruled that MSA President Abhishek Mahanti had unconstitutionally appointed students to a convention to overhaul the student body constitution. And, to top it all off, Mah- anti revealed this month that his project to repair the MSA website not only overran its budget by $6,000, but it also failed to turn out a working product. MSA presidential candidates are dis- tancing themselves from these failures. It's true that MSA's problems are largely institutional - though the blame for the website debacle rests almost exclusively with Mahanti. But that doesn't let MSA candidates for president and vice president off the hook. New MSA leadership must be ready and able to change the assembly and to give students results that they can see. The Michigan Vision Party is repre- sented by MSA presidential candidate Ian Margolis and vice-presidential candidate Tom Stuckey. The new MForward party is under the leadership of presidential candi- date Chris Armstrong and vice-presiden- tial candidate Jason Raymond. Four-time MSA presidential candidate Kate Stenvig has returned to run on the Defend Affir- mative Action Party ticket, accompanied by LSA freshman Sofia Bolanos as vice- presidential candidate. In some ways, MVP and MForward - the two most powerful parties - are surpris- ingly similar. Both stress student involve- ment. MVP has relied on direct contact through events like MSA Mondays, while MForward has reached out to a diverse group of student organizations. Both sup- port the revamped all-campus constitu- tion. Armstrong and Raymond value the prospective University Council's ability to connect directly with students. Margolis has stressed the importance of impeach- ment - which is included in the prospec- tive constitution - to hold representatives accountable. And, most importantly, both have said they are committed to making projects come to fruition. These types of concerns are what make both parties valu- able. And no matter who becomes MSA's president and vice president after all the ballots are counted, MVP and MForward have important - and complementary - roles to play in MSA. MVP's refreshingly simple platform has focused on small projects that yield obvious results. MVP has concrete ideas to improve accountability by mandating bi-weekly reports to the assembly and increase accessibility by creating a live online helpdesk. And Margolis has been heavily involved with the "Block M" at football games and the successful Go Blue, Beat OSU pep rally. Starting small seems smart, especially considering MSA's his- toric failure to deliver on its promises. But these types of common sense tasks shouldn't be the goal to strive for. They should be an expected level of functioning. In stark contrast to MVP, MForward has campaigned on emphasizing MSA's poten- tial as an advocate for student concerns. MForward's goals include halting tuition hikes and implementing long overdue gen- der-neutral housing options for students. But though it has set far more ambitious goals than MVP, MForward has nonethe- less kept most of their promises within the boundaries of MSA's responsibilities. Admittedly, efforts to stop tuition hikes are probably futile. But MForward could make gender-neutral housing a reality. Armstrong, the former chair of the LBGT Commission, has a record of making things happen - even when it's difficult. He was instrumental in bringing the 2011 Mid- west Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference to the University. MForward has the enthusiasm and experi- ence to reach their - albeit large - goals. Yet, there must be a balance between ambition and realism. And DAAP, as usual, has a list of goals far beyond the scope of MSA's power, showing that the party simply doesn't understand of the role of MSA. Stenvig isn't a representative: She's an activist. But as important as activism is, MSA doesn't have the jurisdiction to address her causes. And DAAP's vice-presidential candidate simply isn't qualified. Bolanos is a fresh- man. She doesn't have the experience to prepare her to serve as vice president of MSA. Students want to see the results of MSA action in their lives - and they should see these results. But MVP may be setting its standards too low. One of MSA's most important achievements over the past year was its lobbying for the Good Samaritan Law, not the campus concert scheduled for later this month. And while MForward's dedication to advocacy may seem lofty at first, their goals are within reach. Under the leadership of Armstrong, it seems like MForward's ambition will pay off for the student body. But consistent progress on the smaller issues that MVP has stressed is impor- tant, too. MForward shouldn't lose sight of its primary responsibility to fund student organizations and make student life better in a variety of tangible ways as it pushes for big changes. But the competence Arm- strong and Raymond exhibit inspires trust that they can balance big advocacy with small improvements. A s usual, this year's election for LSA- SG president and vice president is uncontested. But even though presi- dential candidate Steven Benson and vice- presidential candidate Carly Goldberg are unopposed, they have built a focused vision for the future of LSA's governing body. Benson and Goldberg have demonstrat- ed a clear grasp of the issues affecting their constituents and a passion for finding solutions to their concerns. The pair seeks to raise awareness of student rights, host a career fair comparable to those of the Col- lege of Engineering and the Ross School of Business and improve their transparency by increasing interaction with the student body. This platform presents an agenda with achievable goals that will make stu- dents' lives easier in tangible ways. Speaking directly to LSA-SG's promise to deliver is a ballot question to raise the amount of money funneled to LSA-SG from student tuition by $0.50. This ini- tiative would raise an additional $7,000 to fund student organizations. Due to the language of the ballot question, the money would be apportioned solely for distribu- tion among organizations no matter how the annual budget allocation changes. The increase would facilitate student engage- ment on campus without inflicting any sig- nificant burden on the student body. Benson and Goldberg also have ample experience. Benson has trimmed the fat in the body's internal spending to increase the money that LSA-SG gives back to stu- dent organizations. Goldberg is the current chair of the LSA-SG appointments com- mittee, and she has highlighted the need to undertake quality projects as opposed to doing as many projects as possible. While their proposals will clearly benefit students, their ideas can't become a reality without more concrete strategies to imple- mentthem. For example, more active efforts could be done to utilize connections with LSA alumni to improve the caliber of the attending companies at LSA career fairs. Yet, while they need more specific plans to execute their agnda, there is no reason to believe they won't succeed and improve the lives of students across campus. The Daily's Editorial Board endorses MForward candidates CHRIS ARM- STRONG and JASON RAYMOND for MSA president and vice president. We also endorse STEVEN BENSON and CARLY GOLDBERG for LSA-SG president and vice president. STEVEN BENSON, CHRISTINE SCHEPELER AND JEFFREY WOJCIK| Funding better campus experiences In this week's studentgovernmentelections, which begin today, we hope you will take a few minutes out of your day to support University student-organizations. Certainly, we would like you to vote for representatives based on their platforms, pick people who have demonstrated hard work in the past and choose students who you think will priori- tize your concerns for the coming year. Voicing your vote is a great way to ensure that the LSA student government to which you pay $1.50 each semester remains accountable. But this year's election isn't entirely about student government members. It's also about that $1.50 collec- tion. At the top of the LSA student government ballot, you will find that the first question asks for an increase in our collection of $0.50, which would increase the amount of money students pay to LSA-SG to $2.00 per student per semester. That $0.50 will generate about $7,000 more each semester that will go directly to student organiza- tions. In this way, by voting for ballot question one you can significantly increase the financial resources avail- able to your student organization. We want to encourage all LSA students to vote yes on LSA-SG Ballot Question One so that we can provide additional funding to student organizations for years to come. Roughly 70 student groups apply for approximately $100,000 from LSA-SG every semester. LSA-SG funds reg- istered student organizations thousands of dollars to rent out room space, advertise for events and host excellent programs across campus. We receive funding applications from groups as large as Dance Marathon and the Indian American Student Association, as well as requests from smaller organizations like the Maya Dance team. While we have been ableto help many student organizations succeed by paying for portions of their event costs in the past six semesters, LSA-SG has been frustrated by a budget that is too small to completely fund all the reasonable and appro- priate requests that come our way. Student organizations submit outstanding applica- tions with clear budgets and explanations of events for the semester. From cultural shows to topic forums, every event is very well planned, but also very expensive. Unfor- tunately, given our current operating budget, we can only offer between $13,000 and $16,000 (depending on student enrollment and other factors) to these applicants. This often forces LSA-SG to turn away student organizations in their time of need. Your $0.50 each semester would combine with other LSA students' money to help us sup- port the great work and efforts students like you put into campus organizations. After accounting for inflation, using the past semester's survey of the student body, and looking at student group funding need, we believe $2.00 is a reasonable amount to ask students to contribute, amid the current economic cli- mate. We know we are asking for more money, but after working for several years to cut our costs on student gov- ernment, we think this is the best way to help student organizations at this time. Beyond moving internal adver- tising to paperless alternatives, we have saved money by eliminating weekly room rental costs by hosting meetings in Mason Hall instead of University Unions. We have cut back on internal costs, held cheaper retreats eachyeifr and our funding chairs have worked hard to scrutinize budget: applications to maximize our allocations toward funding student organizations. We provide less food at our meet- ings, limit our supply costs and pay our election dirdctor less, all in an effort to put more of our collection to stu- dent organization funding. Of co'urse, we will continue to cut our operating costs to further maximize the amount we allocate to student groups. Yet while we have signifi- cantly increased the portion of your $1.50 that goes to stu- dent groups, it is still not enough. Please vote for LSA-SG Ballot Question One to ensure that LSA-SG has the proper resources to support student efforts. Thank you in advance for voting in the election, regard- less of what college you are in. If LSA-SG has funded your group in the past, please vote for LSA-SG Ballot Question one so that we can continue to fund the amazing events your group puts on for the student body. If LSA-SG hasn't funded your group in the past, please vote for LSA-SG Ballot Question One so that we may have more financial resources to giveyour events in the comingyears. Steven Benson is the presidential candidate for LSA-SG, Christine Schepeler is the current LSA-SG president and Jeffrey Wojcik is the current LSA-SG vice president. 0 0 6 0 KATE STENVIG | DAAP will mobilize 'U' student body The election that begins today will determine whether or not the Michigan Student Assembly can continue to be the democratic hub of student politics. MSA, especially at moments of heightened student activism, has been and can be a powerful advocate for the interests and needs of the whole student body. The Defend Affirmative Action Party believes that it is crucial for MSA to maintain its right to be the independent organizing center for the most powerful constituency on campus - the student body. DAAP is the only party running in this election committed to preserv- ing and strengthening the power of the MSA. The central issue in this campaign is whether or not the anti-democratic and dangerous Students 4 Progressive Governance Constitutional proposal, which is a sweeping overhaul of the University stu- dent constitution and student bill of rights, should be adopt- ed. If adopted, the S4PG con- stitution would significantly Yesterday, the Mic weaken the power of MSA and and MForward fa students' ability to act indepen- dently through our officially viewpoints. To recognized governmental body. Affirmative Acti It would also end critical civil c why it rights and free speech protec- case for hy i tions for students, most impor- tantly the right of immigrant and international students, and transgender and transsexual students to be protect- ed against discrimination based on national origin, gen- der identity and expression. And it would give the MSA president veto power, significantly lessening the ability of students to exert democratic control of our student govern- ment in order to assure that it expresses our will. Now more than ever, we need a strong MSA led by a party determined to organize the tremendous but cur- rently disorganized power of students. DAAP is that party. Students in California and at public universities across the nation are responding to rising tuition costs, increased privatization, inadequate financial aid, declining enroll- ment of minority students and program cuts by buildinga new mass student movement. Their mass actions, building occupations, sit-ins, marches and pickets beginning last fall stopped more tuition hikes and moved both the Dem- ocratic and Republican parties of California to propose -h )d e, state finance reform to protect the University of California system. African American and Latino students at Univer- sity of California-San Diego, who are a tiny portion of the school's student body, responded to a racistfratparty and a noose hanging in their library by occupying the University of California-San Diego Chancellor's office. They demand- ed that the administration back their words of concern with concrete changes to the admissions process to raise underrepresented minority student enrollment. They won. Undocumented students at California universities are now poised to win a DREAM Act scholarship. DAAP is committed to bringing this movement to the University of Michigan. On Mar. 4, students at the Univer- sity of Wisconsin and students at other Big Ten universi- ties took decisive direct mass action, turning their huge stu- dent body into the most impor- tant force for progress in the higan Vision Party state. Students on this campus ced off in dueling cannot afford more tuition hikes. Even those of us that are ay, the Defend from families once classified )n Party makes a as affluent or upper-middle- class are reeling from the eco- serves your vote. nomic crisis and cannot cover 5- to 10-percent tuition hikes every year for the foreseeable future. Minority students have had racial slurs scrawled on their doors and feel increas- ingly frustrated by the administration's seeming incapac- ity to take even obvious and minimal steps to correct the increasingly hostile climate we face on campus. Over the next year, our campus needs to assume its right- ful place asa center of student struggle. If we build the new student movement here on this campus, then we know that students on other universities across this state, including Michigan State University - which is facing massive pro- gram cuts, large tuition increases, and a steady decline in minority student enrollment - will join with us and act. We ask every studenthere who supports student democ- racy, student rights and a free and independent student government to vote DAAP. We need bold leadership and this is our moment. Let's seize it and act. Kate Stenvigis the DAAP presidential candidate for MSA. EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Nina Amilineni, Jordan Birnholtz, William Butler, Nicholas Clift, Michelle DeWitt, Brian Flaherty, Jeremy Levy, Erika Mayer, Edward McPhee, Emily Orley, Harsha Panduranga, Alex Schiff, Asa Smith, Brittany Smith, Robert Soave, Radhika Upadhyaya, Laura Veith