University of Virginia Library

Towards A More Representative
System Of Student Government

THE CAVALIER DAILY
dimension

By Tom Adams
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

When Student Council President Bud
Ogle and Vice President Paul Hurdle met
with the Student Affairs and Athletics
Committee of the Board of Visitors in
early October, they were asked, among
other things, what efforts were being
made to make the Student Council a
more "representative body."

Efforts to make the Student Council
more "representative" began five
semesters ago when the University Party
suggested the need for a new Student
Council Constitution to replace the
current one which was put into effect in
1952. For four semesters a new
constitution was presented to the Council
for consideration.

New Constitution

Each time the majority of councilmen
defeated the constitution until last week's
meeting of the Council, when it
approved, 11-6, the placing of a new
constitution on the ballot of next
month's Student Council and Judiciary
Committee elections for ratification.

Also approved at last week's meeting
of the Council was a Constitution of the
College of Arts and Sciences Council,
which will likewise be on the December
ballot for ratification.

Passage Probable

The proposed Student Council constitution
needs the approval of two-thirds of those voting
in the December election to be ratified.

The College Council constitution needs the
approval of two-thirds of the College students
voting in the election to go into effect.

Both measures will probably pass, unless
there is organized opposition to either.

Currently, there are 23 members of Student
Council, including the four officers. Under the
new constitution there will be 25 councilmen
and a president and vice president elected by
the entire University.

The two new members of the Student
Council will come from the College of Arts and
Sciences, giving that school eleven of the 23
Council representatives.

Popular Election

Under the current constitution, the officers
of the Student Council are elected by the
council members from among themselves and
serve for only one semester.

The new constitution provides for the
popular election of the president of the Student
Council and vice president by all schools of the
University. They will both serve for a full year
and be elected each spring.

In past years opponents of the constitution
have claimed that a popularly-elected president
would have such power and influence as to
overshadow the other members of the Council.
On the other hand proponents of the
constitution have argued that the increased
work of the Student Council requires an
"executive branch" to make sure there is action
taken on the hundreds of motions the Council
passes each year.

The vice president of the Student Council
will continue to serve as Chairman of the
Organizations and Publications Committee of
the Council. It is the job of that committee to
allot the limited supply of student funds to
student publication, clubs, and organizations.
In recent years the Student Activities
Committee has granted the Organizations and
Publications Committee of the Student Council
more and more freedom to dispense, student
monies as they please.

The vice-president of Student Council's job
has grown to be quite a bureaucratic chore and
a longer term in office it is hoped, will assure
more continuity in the dispersement of student
funds.

Easier Amendments

The proposed Student Council constitution
also would make it easier to get amendments
added to the constitution. The current
constitution requires the approval of a majority
of 60 per cent of the student body for an
amendment to be ratified. Many amendments
have failed because it is extremely difficult to
get 60 per cent of the students of the
University to vote in any election.

The constitution for a College Council grew
out of complaints from the non-College
representatives on the Council that too much
time was being spent by the Council on purely
College matters. The Schools of Engineering,
Architecture, and Commerce all have such
Councils that take care of matters within those
respective schools that do not affect the entire
University. Why shouldn't the College of Arts
and Sciences have such an organization, it was
argued.

Five Representatives

If the voters of the College approve the
Constitution, there will be established a body
of five representatives from each class, a
chairman and a vice-chairman, and the eleven
(assuming the Student Council constitution is
ratified) College representatives on the Student
Council.

With 33 members, the College Council will
be larger than the Student Council.

Its only real power, however, will be the
regulation of "all student activities and organizations
of the College." Since most activities and
Organizations are open to all students of the
University, not many will fall under the College
Council's jurisdiction.

Nonetheless, the College Council could
relieve the Student Council of such duties as
the College portion of the Curriculum Evaluation
Report and, in theory, the election of the
Student Council representatives from the
College.

Its 33 members will be 33 more students
who can be assigned to handle the increasing
work load of student government at the
University.

What these two constitutions show better
than anything else, is not that student
government on the Grounds is getting better or
worse, but that it certainly is getting more
bureaucratic.