2008 Woodie Awards
SRC questions ethics
Christina Romero
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: News
The Student Representative Council elections are over and the results have been finalized, but on Wednesday, current SRC members discussed the ethics and grievances that resulted from the campaigns.
"All year long I have asked everybody to please do what's right, do your job," said Sherri Moser, adviser to SRC. "We can't change ethics that are inside of people. We are now stuck with a council next year that the student body voted in. Right or wrong, fair or unfair, they're here."
There were 26 students who ran in the elections. In the end, 22 grievances were filed, 17 of which were filed against one case. There were a total of four cases. The hearings for the cases were from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the University Center.
The first case presented was found to have no violation of alleged defamation. The rest of the cases were found to be legitimate. The second case involved the use of unofficial polling places, and the third focused on flyers in a dorm. The fourth case was alleged use of the UNC logo.
According to Audrey Porter, SRC's election commissioner, the penalty for each candidate who had a grievance filed against him or her is to serve on the SRC Bylaws Revision Committee once they take office. The Bylaws Revision Committee reviews and amends SRC bylaws.
The names of the candidates were not released in order to protect them.
The reaction to the penalty appalled many current SRC members. Spencer Worely, College Student Council representative for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, James Holland, graduate student president and Mason Smith, student trustee, expressed their concerns.
"What I heard Ms. Porter just say is that they were found at fault and the ramifications of being at fault were that they were to correct the bylaws that they violated," Worely said.
Holland said the Bylaw Revision Committee should not be a punishment, but rather a job. He also said if the bylaws are broken, SRC should be working on fixing them.
"All year long I have asked everybody to please do what's right, do your job," said Sherri Moser, adviser to SRC. "We can't change ethics that are inside of people. We are now stuck with a council next year that the student body voted in. Right or wrong, fair or unfair, they're here."
There were 26 students who ran in the elections. In the end, 22 grievances were filed, 17 of which were filed against one case. There were a total of four cases. The hearings for the cases were from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the University Center.
The first case presented was found to have no violation of alleged defamation. The rest of the cases were found to be legitimate. The second case involved the use of unofficial polling places, and the third focused on flyers in a dorm. The fourth case was alleged use of the UNC logo.
According to Audrey Porter, SRC's election commissioner, the penalty for each candidate who had a grievance filed against him or her is to serve on the SRC Bylaws Revision Committee once they take office. The Bylaws Revision Committee reviews and amends SRC bylaws.
The names of the candidates were not released in order to protect them.
The reaction to the penalty appalled many current SRC members. Spencer Worely, College Student Council representative for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, James Holland, graduate student president and Mason Smith, student trustee, expressed their concerns.
"What I heard Ms. Porter just say is that they were found at fault and the ramifications of being at fault were that they were to correct the bylaws that they violated," Worely said.
Holland said the Bylaw Revision Committee should not be a punishment, but rather a job. He also said if the bylaws are broken, SRC should be working on fixing them.
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