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Letter to the Editor: Senate deserved respect during elections

Postponement of election results shows Senate’s lack of power.
As the chairman of Student Senate’s Election Subcommittee, and moreover as an elected representative of Bradley’s student body, I am extremely displeased with the manner in which the administration handled the runoff elections.
While I respect Alan Galsky’s authority as the vice president for Student Affairs and understand the need for an investigation into the source of last week’s “e-mail blast,” I wholeheartedly disagree with the administration taking complete control of the electoral process without even consulting the students who have been elected and appointed to oversee the process.
Rather than allowing the student government to carry out its duties, the administration decided to usurp our authority and demonstrate utter disregard for our constitution.
As per Senate’s constitution, the results of the election should have been announced without delay. After the announcement, if a candidate wished to appeal he or she would have had that opportunity.
Our constitution clearly states that any appeals should first be addressed by the Election Subcommittee and the director of Student Activities. Then if the candidate is still dissatisfied, he or she may make a final appeal to the Arbitration Board. I would like to highlight the fact that since the administration prohibited us from disclosing the results of the election, there never was an appeal.
What is even more alarming is the fact that the administration did not even consult with the Election Subcommittee or any other members of Senate before stripping us of the powers entrusted to us by our peers.
These elections are a student matter, yet we were left completely in the dark as the administration made decisions behind closed doors. Administrators took no steps to ask the student body what it thought the appropriate actions to take were, and to my committee’s knowledge, they never even inquired as to whether the candidates would have appealed the results.
The administration’s blatant disregard for Senate’s constitution and the complete exclusion of the student body’s elected officials in this matter only serve to reinforce the perception that this Senate has no real power.
David Mullner
Election Subcommittee Chairman
Student Senate
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