Student Council unanimously passed FB17-19 — a bill to codify the position of Cabinet Vice Chair — at their general body meeting Tuesday evening.
The Student Council is made up of an Executive Board, Cabinet, Administration, Organization committees and Representative Body. The Cabinet consists of various committees which cover different aspects of University life, including community relations, athletic affairs and diversity engagement.
According to Ellie Brasacchio, Student Council president and a fourth-year College student, the Cabinet Vice Chairs have been beneficial because the position alleviates the workload of a Cabinet Chair, allows younger members the opportunity to gain experience in the Cabinet and provides a convenient replacement if a Cabinet Chair should resign or leave office.
“If Chairs have a lot of positions or if they are appointed to a lot of different committees around U.Va. and are not able to make those meetings, the Vice Chair can go with them,” Brasacchio said. “It is very beneficial in allowing younger students to see what the chairs of the committees are doing in hopes that they will go on to those positions within Student Council. It also helps younger members see a little bit more about what the chair is doing and hopefully feel comfortable moving up into the organization.”
The position of Cabinet member Vice Chairs already exists — however, this bill will codify the position of Vice Chair ensuring that the position continues to remain in use.
The Student Council also discussed their intentions to move forward in their response to the University's use of a donor watch list in admissions practices. The Executive Board has issued a firm statement against these practices but have failed to pass a resolution.
Last March, Dean of Admission Gregory Roberts told The Cavalier Daily that at some point during the evaluation process, some students will get an extra look during the admissions process based on “institutional interest,” which includes children of donors, legacy applicants, first-generation applicants, committed athletes and children of faculty and staff.
“You're talking probably between out of 9800 offers — probably 50 to 75 get a second look,” Roberts said at the time. “The cases that get reviewed a second time doesn't mean they're going to be admitted, and sometimes they were already admitted without that consideration.”
In September, The Cavalier Daily obtained email correspondence that ties members of the University’s admissions, advancement and administrative staff to a “watch list” of “high-priority” applicants connected to donors. Only eight students — seven percent of the watch list applicants — were offered admission in 2019, making the percentage of accepted watch list students only 0.08 percent of all total admission offers.
According to Brasacchio, Student Council is attempting to create a larger dialogue and discussion surrounding the issue.
“We’ve realized that a lot of the discussion has been centered around Student Council members, and we want to make sure we’re getting a lot of input from the student body at large,” Brasacchio said.
The Student Council plans on holding an open forum, inviting students and various student organizations — as well as Representatives of the Office of Advancement, Office of Admission and The Cavalier Daily — to both educate students regarding the University’s use of the watch list and give students a place to voice their concerns.
“My personal beliefs on the watch list is still the same — I would like this practice to be ended,” Brasacchio said. “I think we would just like to get a pulse of what the student body is thinking of this and what kind of action they want us to take.”
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