Senate passed resolutions that will shorten the senate campaign season and limit fundraising for candidates
Ohio University Student Senate drastically altered the policies Wednesday by which future senate campaigns are financed and organized.
Senate passed two resolutions aimed to curb what it called an undemocratic process that gave an advantage to those who have better or easier access to money.
One resolution will limit the amount of senate election funds, stating that the current funding gives “more opportunity to wealthy members of the university, and previous elections have seen large disparities spending between tickets.”
With the passing of this resolution, non-executive, independent and party candidates are allowed $10 in funding, and executive candidates are allowed $20. That’s about $450 per ticket based on past blocs of students who run for office, said DJ Amireh, a senator on the Senate Appropriations Commission. He said that estimate depends on how many individuals run on each ticket.
The Restart ticket accumulated about $500 in fundraising at the beginning of their spring election campaign, according to a previous Post article.
With the passing of this resolution, in-kind donations — such as fliers and t-shirts — to independent candidates will be capped at $50.
In-kind donations to parties will be capped at $100 with the intention of giving independent candidates equal advertising, because they “do not have the same advertising power that comes with a ticket,” the resolution states.
The second resolution, which shortens senate elections from 24 days to 14 days, also passed. It describes the current state of elections as taking an extensive amount of time from classes and going beyond the time needed to inform students of a particular platform.
Some senators argued that limiting the time would prevent students from confidently placing a vote for their selected candidates.
“People don’t like when people are canvassing for a month-long about an issue,” Senate President Megan Marzec said of her conversations with several students.
Resolutions to add senators to senate’s Women’s, Minority, Black, International and LGBTQ Affairs commissions to accurately represent the diversity on OU’s campus all unanimously passed.
Marzec, who backed the resolutions, said while they are not benefiting “the student movement” on a macro-level, it’s wrong that these commissions do not have the needed representation on the senate body.
Caitlyn McDaniel, vice president of senate, said the added seats will be filled by appointed positions. She added that the seats will most likely be filled by those in organizations in which these commissions serve.
“We’re not just picking random people and putting them in these spots,” McDaniel said. “Everyone that is in an appointed spot very actively wants to be there.”
Also at the meeting, Judith Piercy, OU’s interim ombudsman, gave a presentation on revising the university’s hazing policy, which would more strictly define hazing by breaking it down into six parts. The policy will be taken to student organizations on campus; senate was the first to receive this presentation.
@Alisa_Warren
aw120713@ohio.edu
