Executives Vote To Strike 4 Issues From U.C. Ballot

The Undergraduate Council executive board voted last night to strike four of five issues that would have appeared on next week's referendum, keeping only a question about the $10 term bill hike on the ballot.

The board recommended that the referendum, to be held April 20-22, be binding. That means its results can only be overturned by a three-fourths vote of the full council.

The board also voted that the referendum will be supervised in each house by members of the council as well as the respective house committees. The board also moved to invite the Independent to help council members in the Freshman Union administer the balloting.

The executive board's recommendations will be taken to the full council this Sunday, where they can be overturned by a simple majority.

A five-question petition with more than 1,100 signatures was presented to the council last Sunday by former member Anjalee C. Davis '96, who is taking the semester off from school. The petition specified that the signatories commit all five questions to a binding student referendum.

The four questions the executive board struck from the referendum included votes on popular election of executives; general elections before every semester; the distribution of unspent funds to the house committees; and last year's council decision to eliminate the check-box option on term bills that allows students to recovertheir council fees.

Most council members present at Sunday'smeeting said they thought many students signed thepetition because they wanted to see a vote solelyon the council's recent decision to raiseterm-bill fees by $10.

President Carey W. Gabay '94 said Davis'petition had been conducted in a "procedurallyincorrect" manner.

"It gave no student the right to decide whichof the five they wanted, so [the petition was]basically packed," Gabay said.

Council members chose to include just theterm-bill fee hike on the referendum because thatissue has been "the most salient, the one that'sbeen in The Crimson every day," Gabay said. "Theother issues are secondary."

Former Chair Michael P. Beys '94, who is not amember of the present executive board, said hedisagreed with Davis' argument that studentssigned the petition because they wanted to see allfive issues go to a vote.

Beys said the four other issues on the petition"are just not germane."

"We have a process to determine these otherissues," Beys said. "There wasn't that samecontentiousness with [the other four]."

Beys also appealed to the concept of areferendum in a representative government.

"The reason we're going to a referendum on [thefee hike] is because we feel the student will mayhave been lost in the process," Beys said."That is not an issue on the other fourquestions."

Davis spoke in support of her petition lastnight.

"If people were against any of the issues, theyhad the option not to sign," Davis said.

"You say you listen to the students," Davissaid to the board, "but you pick and choose whatyou listen do."

Davis, who initiated the petition drive, toldthe Crimson yesterday that Dean of Students ArchieC. Epps III said he would call a meeting of thecommittee on College Life if the referendum wasnot presented in its entirety.

Davis also told The Crimson recently that shewould consult lawyers about seeking an injunctionif the referendum did not go to the students as itwas.

Epps was not available for comment last night.

The board also recommended that the councilsupervise the referendum in conjunction with thehouse committees.

The board approved a motion to recommend thatanyone handing out ballots could not proselytize,but that all other campaigning around the votingare would be legiltimate.

"The council is in a disadvantaged position,"said Beys, who alleged that The Crimson hasdistorted debate on the term-bill issue. "Councilmembers should be able to get up and make speechesduring the vote. There will always be the otherside present."

Melissa Garza '94, a Winthrop Houserepresentative, the council should make itselfvisible before, rather than during, the vote.

"I think a lot of people will be pissed at us"if council members try to presuade voters duringthe referendum, she said.

Some council members, including Garza, arguedthat house committees are pro-council.

But others, including, Vice President Joshua D.Liston '95, protested that such committees areanti-council and thus represent an effective checkon the administration of the referendum

Most council members present at Sunday'smeeting said they thought many students signed thepetition because they wanted to see a vote solelyon the council's recent decision to raiseterm-bill fees by $10.

President Carey W. Gabay '94 said Davis'petition had been conducted in a "procedurallyincorrect" manner.

"It gave no student the right to decide whichof the five they wanted, so [the petition was]basically packed," Gabay said.

Council members chose to include just theterm-bill fee hike on the referendum because thatissue has been "the most salient, the one that'sbeen in The Crimson every day," Gabay said. "Theother issues are secondary."

Former Chair Michael P. Beys '94, who is not amember of the present executive board, said hedisagreed with Davis' argument that studentssigned the petition because they wanted to see allfive issues go to a vote.

Beys said the four other issues on the petition"are just not germane."

"We have a process to determine these otherissues," Beys said. "There wasn't that samecontentiousness with [the other four]."

Beys also appealed to the concept of areferendum in a representative government.

"The reason we're going to a referendum on [thefee hike] is because we feel the student will mayhave been lost in the process," Beys said."That is not an issue on the other fourquestions."

Davis spoke in support of her petition lastnight.

"If people were against any of the issues, theyhad the option not to sign," Davis said.

"You say you listen to the students," Davissaid to the board, "but you pick and choose whatyou listen do."

Davis, who initiated the petition drive, toldthe Crimson yesterday that Dean of Students ArchieC. Epps III said he would call a meeting of thecommittee on College Life if the referendum wasnot presented in its entirety.

Davis also told The Crimson recently that shewould consult lawyers about seeking an injunctionif the referendum did not go to the students as itwas.

Epps was not available for comment last night.

The board also recommended that the councilsupervise the referendum in conjunction with thehouse committees.

The board approved a motion to recommend thatanyone handing out ballots could not proselytize,but that all other campaigning around the votingare would be legiltimate.

"The council is in a disadvantaged position,"said Beys, who alleged that The Crimson hasdistorted debate on the term-bill issue. "Councilmembers should be able to get up and make speechesduring the vote. There will always be the otherside present."

Melissa Garza '94, a Winthrop Houserepresentative, the council should make itselfvisible before, rather than during, the vote.

"I think a lot of people will be pissed at us"if council members try to presuade voters duringthe referendum, she said.

Some council members, including Garza, arguedthat house committees are pro-council.

But others, including, Vice President Joshua D.Liston '95, protested that such committees areanti-council and thus represent an effective checkon the administration of the referendum