UGS confirms new Nominations Fee members

The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) unanimously handed a invoice confirming new members to the Nominations Fee (NomCom), the scholar fee chargeable for nominating college students to numerous College committees, at its Wednesday assembly. 

The senate’s vote, which got here within the wake of a earlier unanimous affirmation vote by the Graduate Scholar Council, confirmed a slate of 5 undergraduate college students and one graduate pupil to NomCom.

Co-chair Diego Kagurabadza ‘25 emphasised the timeliness of the senate’s vote. He mentioned a number of committees, together with the Educational Integrity Working Group, reached out to senators and expressed an pressing want for pupil representatives.  

Senators additionally unanimously handed a invoice that will repeal the requirement that the Leland Stanford Junior College Marching Band (LSJUMB) return to VSO standing to be able to obtain ASSU funding. As an alternative, the invoice situations future funding on suggestions offered by the Monetary Supervisor of the ASSU.

The UGS had beforehand handed a March 2023 decision that approved an audit into the funds of the LSJUMB. The decision was in response to allegations from former band members that funding was not getting used for pupil profit. Based on the invoice, the audit didn’t discover any proof of misuse of funds, though the ASSU Monetary Supervisor did spotlight “a number of areas for enchancment within the dealing with of funds.”

Senators additionally made plans to vote on a invoice that will affirm three nominees to the Constitutional Council. Nominees had been interviewed by the Chair of the Constitutional Council slightly than by ASSU executives, mentioned Sophia Danielpour ‘24, the ASSU president. Nonetheless, the ASSU executives did meet with the Chair of the Constitutional Council to overview their notes on every nominee. 

“We judged individuals on the premise of how effectively they understood the ASSU structure, what we thought their authorized aptitude was and the way a lot we believed they had been in a position to tackle the duties of the function,” Danielpour mentioned. 

Kagurabadza mentioned that in accordance with the ASSU Structure, the choice of members to the Constitutional Council is a accountability which belongs to the ASSU government department. He expressed concern that the ASSU executives’ determination to not personally interview nominees runs counter to the “separation of powers” between every department of the ASSU.

“Having the Chair of the Constitutional Council basically select their very own co-workers is somewhat tough to swallow,” Kagurabadza mentioned. 

Danielpour defended her involvement within the nomination course of, stating that ASSU executives “drew on previous precedent” of their method to nominating members of the Constitutional Council and reviewed each utility that was submitted.

The UGS will look to ask the nominees underneath dialogue to its subsequent assembly, in accordance with Kagurabadza.