Vice Chancellor says students don’t have final say; Administration puts trust in UCSU to oversee budget
Every semester the University of Colorado Student Union, CU’s student government, holds elections to determine who CU’s next student leaders will be. Controlling over $30 million dollars in student fees, UCSU is the most powerful student union in the nation. They fund and control 12 student cost centers, the largest of which are the UMC, Wardenburg and the Rec Center, and they form and debate policy that guides the campus and its students.
Despite the influence the elected members possess, it is rare for more than 20 percent of CU’s large student population, numbering near 30,000, to vote in the spring election. Fewer than 10 percent of students have historically participated in the fall elections. Two years ago, the number of students voting dipped below 1,000.
The Campus Press will break down the positions, the process and the people in an 11-part series that will run through April 20, the last day of voting. Stay with The Campus Press during this time for developments and results regarding the 2007 UCSU elections.
Although the University of Colorado Student Union indeed possesses a significant amount of power, including control over a $30 million annual budget, they certainly aren’t the ultimate authority in legislative decisions.
UCSU is under an autonomy agreement with the Board of Regents and the chancellor stating that ultimate power is vested, not in students, but rather in the administration.
UCSU Elections 2007: CP’s 11-day Series
Part 1 | Rules of the race – The ins and outs of CU’s election code
Part 2 | Taking office – The elected officials and what they do
Part 3 | Repeat runners – What they’ve accomplished, why they’re back
Part 4 | An apathetic audience – What UCSU is doing to make you care
Part 5 | Showing support – A look at CU’s student groups and the candidates they endorse
Part 6 | The candidates – An in-depth look at the election hopefuls
Part 7 | The voters – Students who vote, and why they care
Part 8 | Voting trends – A look at the winning tickets of the past, and the stronghold of the campaigners
Part 9 | $30 million strong – An analysis of UCSU and how it differs from other student governments in the region
Part 10 | Autonomy – A look at the 1985 agreement that gave UCSU its power today
Part 11 | The campaign trail – Candidate experiences from the 2007 campaigning process
The autonomy agreement (http://wwwucsu.colorado.edu/appellate/govdocs/autonomy.PDF) was put to use in 1985, and clearly displays the relationship UCSU has with the university and with the chancellor. The agreement also serves as a guideline to what powers the UCSU has.
The title may be deceiving, but the autonomy agreement acknowledges that while the Board of Regents and officers of the university retain ultimate responsibility and authority of the university as a whole, only management authority is vested in the UCSU representatives. This includes decisions concerning student’s fees and the annual budget.
Vice Chancellor Ron Stump said the autonomy agreement was intended to define the responsibility that student government has to the students, to the university and to the cost centers. Stump said it is a contract of trust.
“We place a great deal of trust in the students because we believe that (Legislative Council) is a great leadership and learning opportunity,” Stump said.
But along with trust comes responsibility. Legislative Council has been frowned upon this year by attempting to pass the Fair and Equal Access bill, which threatened to close down the major cost centers at CU. Many students and faculty members believed this decision to be overbearing and outside the power limits of a student government. Stump explained that a bill like Fair and Equal Access did not pass and will never pass because students do not have full autonomy.
“(The decision) ultimately feeds up to the chancellor, then to the president and finally the board of regents. It’s not only up to the students,” Stump said.
This is the first time in his eleven-year career at CU that Stump said he has seen a bill like Fair and Equal Access come to the table. Stump said students running for elections this season should look at the Fair and Equal Access bill as an example of what not to do.
“Newly elected students need to follow what is written in the autonomy agreement and realize they do not have full autonomy,” Stump said.
When asked if he believed students in Legislative Council had gained increased power over the years, Stump said no. He said the rules written in the autonomy agreement are clear, and that students have been urged to follow them precisely.
Representative at large and Legislative Council member Ryan Hatch, a junior broadcast news major, said he thinks the autonomy agreement needs to be revisited by the administration and Legislative Council.
“I think it has good intentions but it might be outdated” Hatch said, ” I think it should allow for more leeway with concern to specific students groups. Even though it’s intended to give students a final say, in the end it’s still the administration making the final decision.”
Hatch said he would like to see a more efficient checks and balances system.
“I wish there was a way to stick with the students wants instead of a veto every time the administration doesn’t agree. If a decision has a majority backing, it should be passed,” Hatch said.
Friday: Voting wraps up, results come in, and the campaigners reflect on the long campaign trail.
