SFC chair officially announced

In a letter addressed to the student body, dated June 30, ASPSU President Amara Marino officially announced that the position of SFC chair for the 2003-04 year will be filled by Tracy Earll.

Earll, who served as chair last year as well, was the runner-up in the ASPSU March elections. Erin Watari, who won the largest number of votes, was disqualified based on rulings made by the Evaluation and Constitutional Review Committee (E&CR).

The first E&CR ruling about the elections was made April 12 and stated that the elections committee had gone beyond its discretion when it placed write-in candidates on the ballot.

The E&CR also ruled that “any candidates that did not attend a candidate orientation meeting are therefore disqualified.”

The elections committee from 2002-03 had technically ceased to exist as of May 1, but up to that point and afterwards, none of the members made any action or decision about the E&CR’s rulings regarding election violations.

The decision regarding the new SFC chair has been unclear and confusing for the last few months, as no one from ASPSU would make an official announcement regarding the position.

Members of the elections committee continually contested that they were not in a position to make a decision, feeling as though the E&CR had made it for them. Some also cited that their tenure with ASPSU had ended as of May 1.

The E&CR repeatedly stated, however, that it was up the elections committee to make a decision based on its rulings and to announce that decision, as well.

On June 25, Marino submitted an attention request form to the E&CR in which she asked whether the E&CR could make a decision about the SFC chair if the elections committee had not done so.

The E&CR ruled, “In the absence of any action taken by the elections committee, the E&CR rulings stand. The president should follow the guidelines set down by the E&CR.”

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Since Watari did not attend the required candidate orientation meeting, she was disqualified and Earll was officially named SFC chair.

Her term began yesterday, with the beginning of the new fiscal year.