Editor,
On Saturday, the GPSA Council approved a new constitution to be placed on the general election ballot.
This proposed constitution is the result of hundreds of hours of work by the GPSA Constitution Committee, as well as several hours of debate and fine-tuning at the council meeting. It was a lengthy and difficult process, representing the culmination of participants’ contributions over several months.
Legitimate concerns were raised and discussed, and the constitution that will be on the ballot is an effective compromise of wide-ranging interests and concerns.
Though there were important disagreements raised around important issues, representatives agreed that it is a much more rational document than the current GPSA constitution.
The nature of compromise is for various interests to come together to reach an acceptable resolution. I applaud council representatives for committing to the process and enduring a difficult meeting in order to preserve and improve our governing organization.
According to current GPSA bylaws, the constitution must be approved by the majority of voters in the election.
The number that determines this majority is the number of members who cast a ballot, even partially filled out, in the election. Therefore, it is important that each member vote on this issue. Leaving this item blank is the same as voting against the constitution, so I urge every person who votes to complete their ballot, and if not, to at least vote on this issue (this year’s ballot contains only three items).
It would be a shame for the constitution to fail because of non-votes from partially filled out ballots, since it would leave ambiguous whether the GPSA membership rejected the proposed constitution outright.
Finally, I would like to write in favor of ratifying the amended constitution, so that the problems that motivated this effort can be addressed.
The new constitution creates, among other things, a Steering Committee that would be tasked with reviewing GPSA legislation in the future. This provides a process to continue to review this document and ensure that it meets GPSA’s current and future needs.
I urge you to support this constitution, because it is a significant improvement over the existing document. Please contact the GPSA Council chair or your council representative if you have any questions about the constitution, so that your vote will be an informed and principled decision.
Corbin Casarez
GPSA Council Representative
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
