No writs have yet been filed, last week’s senate elections remain uncontested, and the first Senate meeting will take place Monday as scheduled, according to new Senior Union Tribunal member John Underwood.
Underwood declined to comment on whether he anticipated a writ to be filed in response to the alleged flaws in last week’s Senate elections. But as of late yesterday afternoon, he said no one had officially contested the election.
“It’s up to the student body and if they feel the need to [file a writ]. But to say that I am anticipating or not anticipating one would show that I’m not impartial,” he said.
Underwood said his primary concern is maintaining the integrity of the Union’s constitution.
“If a writ is filed, my opinion is that whatever actions need to be taken will be taken to ensure that the constitution is being upheld,” he said.
Whether a writ filed within the next day would halt Monday’s inaugural Senate meeting depends largely on what the writ alleges, Underwood said. How fast the Tribunal could resolve the issue would also vary depending on the scope of the investigation, he said.
“It totally depends upon the type of allegations that they’re making,” Underwood said of the hypothetical writ.
“It would just depend on the type of writ and how long it took us to get into contact with all the parties involved,” he said. “We try to act as fast as possible once we’ve received one.”
“It could be an immediate turnaround, or it could be something that may take more time,” he continued. “But it depends totally on the writ that is filed.”
How the writ is worded, however, makes a big difference, according to Union Vice President for Public Relations, Frances Cosico. If the writ were to challenge the validity of the Senators, the Tribunal could not consider it until the Senate is officially in session, Cosico said. But if the writ were to challenge the elections, it could be filed anytime, she said.
“The E-board’s stance really was that if anyone felt inclined to write a writ, we would definitely stand behind the process,” Cosico said. “It’s been less than a week since Lisa resigned and we’re still waiting to see if someone is going to write a writ.”
Senate Chairman Joel Fajardo declined to comment on whether a writ would or should be filed and fiercely defended the integrity of this year’s Senate.
“I did not speculate whether a writ would be filed or not; however, I was always open to the possibility that this course of action could be taken by a student, and that it would be handled in the most professional manner possible,” said Fajardo, who could only be reached by email last night.
“My position as chairman demands that I stay impartial to almost all matters regarding the Union and that I uphold the decisions made by the Senate and Tribune,” Fajardo said.
And in order to maintain his objectivity, he also said it would be improper for him to file a writ himself.
“Filing a writ myself would be grossly out of question because it implies a bias on my side,” Fajardo said. “I have no intentions on doing this.”
LITTLE INTEREST IN TRIBUNE
In related fallout from Monday’s resignation of former Senior Tribune Lisa Franchini, yesterday’s deadline for Tribune applications came and went with little interest, Union President Ethan Clay said.
Clay said he received a phone call about the position but no formal applications, and added if he didn’t find any applications in the office tomorrow, he would consider extending the deadline.
The Union constitution sets a deadline for filling the position at two weeks after the first Senate meeting.
SENATOR RESIGNS
Sen. Carly Foster, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore representing Danielsen Hall, resigned her post earlier this week, due to scheduling reasons, Foster said. She was elected in an uncontested race.
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