USUALLY grounds for dismissal from one's job entail lackluster performance or breaking the law -- but enrolling in a school within the same university? Former Student Council College Representatives Curtis Ofori and Ben Hicks were removed from office after transferring to the McIntire School of Commerce. Ofori and Hicks both served their first term this past semester, but were not allowed to continue "representing" the College due to their Commerce School enrollment. In an age where the University erases the borders between schools and more academic programs are interdisciplinary, there is no question that a Commerce School student can represent the College and the well-being of the entire University.
Council Executive Vice President Rebeen Pasha made the decision to remove Ofori and Hicks, citing the Council constitution and by-laws. If one adheres to the Constitution, Ofori and Hicks' cases are weak. It reads, "A Student Council Representative must be enrolled as a full time student in the school he or she represents and must have enough semesters in prospect to allow him or her to serve a full term once elected."
Yet part of the reason the Council Rules and Ethics Board exists is to adjudicate disputed policies. This is one of them. Ofori and Hicks should stay in office and a student referenda should pass a constitutional amendment to allow for students to enroll in multiple academic programs.
With the schools moving closer to "interdisciplinary everything," representatives should have no problems being elected in one school and taking on another program of study. There is an undergraduate Commerce minor in the making and more Commerce classes are available to College students. The borders between schools are nearing transparency. In fact, Ofori is acquiring a major in the College as well as the Commerce school. Does this exclude Ofori from any representative positions in Student Council?
Ofori and Hicks ran for office last semester without knowledge of their acceptance to the Commerce School. Many students apply to different schools during the spring term. If students have any intentions of transferring schools, should they be allowed to run? It would be ludicrous to say no. Representatives are elected and should be allowed to serve out their term.
Students can still take classes in different schools, mingle with students in different schools and share concerns with different schools. The distinction is minimal -- especially between the College and the Commerce School. At the library and dining hall, there are no separate sections for Commerce students. Everyone is in the same boat hoping for good grades at a celebrated university.
Council tackles mostly University-wide issues rather than individual matters. In order to improve the University, reforms are not unilateral by school -- instead they are enhancements for the well-being of all students.
Granted, there is a need for some form of fair representation at the University. Without a delegation system, the Student Council body might be in disarray. Yet the strictness of removing Ofori and Hicks for serving one term and then transferring to another school is unreasonable. The Council's by-laws state that students represent "the specific interests of the Student Body of his or her particular school and the general interests of the entire Student Body." Student Council should pay more attention to the latter part and not exaggerate the importance of divisions between schools. The clause "conform to the principle of equal representation" is outdated in this new age of interdisciplinary majors and joint ventures between schools.
Also, if a Commerce student is allowed to take courses in the College and both schools are located on the same premises, representation is not hindered at all by dual enrollment. Ofori and Hicks can still fairly monitor the views and concerns of College students because they are all undergraduates at this university. My Commerce friend does not have a different perspective about this University because he takes business or accounting courses. The only concern we don't share is getting a job after graduation. The undergraduate community is one unified body and does not need to be divided by separating students based on school enrollment. Students who pick up an extra major in a different school or enroll in an academic program which spans multiple schools should not be excluded from serving as a Student Council representative.
(Michael Behr's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mbehr@cavalierdaily.com.)
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