Referendum could retool freshman class government

This change would amend Article VIII, Section B of the USG constitution, which concerns the election of class officers. Voting on the two spring USG referenda and elections for class government and U-Council begin today.

Because the referendum is a constitutional amendment, the measure must earn the approval of three-fifths of the students who vote in order to pass. But the referendum will only pass if at least one-sixth of the undergraduate student body votes.

The text of the referendum argues that it would “allow for a more fluid and flexible allocation of responsibility within the council so that the freshmen can learn about the duties of all the different positions.”

If the referendum passes, all students interested in class government would run for a position on the new council. The top five recipients of votes would earn a spot.

Burgos, who was elected to his position last spring and did not serve in class government during his freshman year, explained that the motivation for the referendum partially came from the realization that officers elected freshman year were rarely defeated in later elections.

Stefan Kende ’13, Class of 2013 vice president, who worked with Burgos to create the referendum, said that the biggest problem with freshman class elections currently is that freshman class officers are elected only two months after arriving on campus. As a result, they are often unacquainted with a large number of their classmates, which can lead to a “random election.”

“By pushing off that election of specific positions until almost a year later at the end of freshman year, it gives voters a chance to be better oriented and know the people running better,” he added.

Burgos said that both freshmen who run and those who vote do not always understand exactly what the specific class government roles entail. He explained that by the end of freshman year, “the class as a whole [will have had] study breaks and their freshman formal, for example, so they know what class government does and they know what to look for in their candidates.”

Kende also noted that under the current system, if the five best potential candidates decide to run for freshman class president, only one will become a class officer.

Burgos argued that the change would not lead to a power vacuum or a lack of specific roles for officers, explaining that the proposed council of officers would divide up responsibilities among themselves. He said this was the same system used when planning the Orange and Black Ball.

“The Orange and Black Ball committee was comprised of class officers from each class, and there was no leader in that group. We all just came together and decided what should be done and we divided responsibilities pretty evenly,” Burgos explained.

USG president Bruce Easop ‘13 said in email that the change would invite more freshmen to run for high-visibility positions. He also said that the class council structure would make the sophomore year elections based more on their contributions to the government rather than on their prior position.

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“There are pros and cons to both the current and proposed leadership models, so it’s important to make an informed vote,” he said.

Multiple members of the Class of 2015 class government did not return repeated requests for comment on their position on the referendum.

Danny Johnson, Class of 2015 social chair, said he supports the referendum, noting that the class council system “most accurately reflects upon how class government should function.”

He shared Burgos’ and Kende’s view that freshmen do not always grasp the specific roles of the class government officers and said in an email that he did not anticipate the amount of responsibility his job entailed. Johnson is also a copy editor for The Daily Princetonian.

“The experience was much more than expected, and I was thrown right into the job,” Johnson explained. “Confusion most certainly still exists as evidenced by viewing the candidate statements from others seeking my position. The role of social chair is so much more than throwing the ‘best parties ever,’ ” he added.

Johnson also said that freshman class officers already collaborate on projects.

“From the title ‘social chair,’ all of the events of this past year fell under my jurisdiction, but in practice this is not the case,” he said. “Our success was a team effort.”

Burgos noted that the current freshman class officers work well together but added that this is not always the case.

“Sometimes you get people who don’t really do anything, and they end up lasting for four years,” he said.