Vis Lupi Est Grex

A sure way to lose a debate and a giant in the room

A great way to lose a debate: agree with your opponent(s). That is all Jacob Camp, candidate for ASUN President, did in last week's debate. I'm pleased to see the Nevada Sagebrush picked up on this, which was, to several observers of the debate, a giant gorilla in the room. So kudos to the Sagebrush for paying attention to and reporting on the details that mattered. I don't think it's a stretch to say, as far as ASUN coverage is concerned, this is so far the best issue under Editor-in-Chief Jessica Fryman.

That said, there was another giant in the room during the "debate," (available online here--apologies for poor audio) and it wasn't Eli Reilly's epic ego or Casey Stiteler's sense of entitlement, not even Jacob Camp's love fest (but no homo!). It was how painfully obvious how woefully unfamiliar the candidates are--even insiders!--with what ASUN is.

You want to know what ASUN is? An excellent--nay, the only--place to start is with the charter document, the ASUN Constitution, included below for your reading pleasure. For, in the words of "West Wing" character Toby Ziegler, referring to the U.S. Constitution, "in all it is the owner's manual and we should read what it has to say!"

Constitution of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, 2007

What should we take away from that reading? A few things.

1. ASUN is an association composed of every undergraduate student at Nevada.
2. The purpose of the undergraduate student body in establishing ASUN under this constitution is, according to the Preamble, to "advance our interests, set forth our duties, and provide for meaningful participation in the governance of our University." Basically, look after the interests of all undergrads.
3. The association is governed by a tripartite representative government, and it looks a hell of a lot like the federal government. Although true, this is a government composed of students (i.e. "student government"), it is a government nonetheless.
4. ASUN is governed under a rule of law.

Now that you've read the ASUN Constitution, we have a framework within which to review the debate. The most evident conclusion is that no candidate is familiar with the owner's manual, the ASUN Constitution. Even Jacob Camp, who claimed superiority over his opponents because he had a copy with him, botched a most basic issue about which offices are created in the constitution. His response after the debate was, "oops."

Particularly with the vice presidential candidates, each has a notion of what the vice president should be, not what it is under the constitution. For those who are curious, the vice president's only constitutional obligations are to be able to succeed to the presidency if need be, to preside over the Senate during judicial impeachments, and do what the Senate or President delegate. That's it. All the jockeying of who is better for diversity was pointless.

I know this next point is nitpicky, but precision with language matters.

• Legislator, n., a member of a legislature
• Legislature, n., a body composed of legislators
• Legislation, n., a written document legislators debate in a legislature

The terms are never interchangeable. Get these right or you'll lose life points.

Last point, universal among the candidates is the idealism to "do good," to "do the right thing," or to help make the campus better. Those are all laudable motivations, but that isn't your job. Getting elected to ASUN means getting elected to run, manage, and lead a government. It is a job with public weight. It means legal duties and obligations, and legal consequences if mistakes are made.

Too often students believe that ASUN is a popular place to be, a resume builder (the perpetual favorite), and really not that serious a thing. But ASUN is more than that. It is a proving ground for future elected leaders. It is a place to learn about functions of government, how governments work. It isn't a sandbox on some playground. So candidates, stop treating it like it is. You'll earn much more credibility if you do.