Ripon College Days

After lengthy debate over the legitimacy of last month's Senior Class Board (SCB) election, J-Board voted to overturn the results and hold a new election.

Complaintants, seniors Katie Giles and Nicole Kaplan, came before the Board with respondent Student Senate President junior Chris Reed-Waddell. Giles claimed Reed-Waddell failed to issue her an election packet in a timely manner, violating the Senate's operating rules, ultimately leaving her insufficient time to complete the nomination requirements. Kaplan's discontent was the election's lack of publicity, organization and officials.

The J-Board hearing first considered whether the election results should be overturned. In a vote of five to one the members agreed to disband the election's outcome. In a letter to the hearing's concerned parties, J-Board President senior Joe Fontaine spoke on the board's behalf, citing Reed-Waddell's failure to provide the packet as the reason behind the decision, saying it "violated the expectation that a properly conducted election should allow students to fulfill this requirement."

Consideration of how to proceed was next on the agenda. The parties discussed two options for action-a class poll versus a new election.

Both options are in violation of the constitution's Oct. 15 deadline for the SCB election, but the board ultimately voted in favor of an election due to the lack of an enforcement clause for the deadline and an election being what Fontaine considers "most in keeping with the rights of the student body to participate in a free and fair selection process."

Reed-Waddell is supportive of the board's decision. "It's an opportunity for Student Senate to get the election done in the best possible manner," he comments.

While Kaplan recognizes a new election means an increase in competition for a position to which she was previously elected, she is pleased with the outcome.

"I'm very satisfied with the final decision," she says. "I could understand if some feel like their position is in jeopardy and mine is as well, but this was a terrible election and we could never stand to set a precedent like this."

Senior Emily Dillon, who was also voted onto the SCB in the first election, is accepting of the decision, but stresses that time is of the essence. "If we don't get this resolved quickly we're going to miss out on planning the 100 Days Party, and I don't think that's fair to anyone in the Senior Class," says Dillon. "There are a lot of things that need to start getting done now."

J-Board issued a list of election suggestions in their decision. They include the automatic inclusion of the originally elected individuals, better accessibility of election packets, an increase in pre-election communication with the senior class and the consideration of election operating rules during the Senate's Constitutional Revision Committee in the spring.

Voting for the SCB was held Monday and Tuesday. Results were unavailable at press time.

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