Congratulations to the President and Vice President elect and the Members of the 78th ASUN Senate

As promised, some brief analysis.

• Jose won by an 8-point margin
• Sadykova won by a 14-point margin
• All 5 incumbent senators won reelection. The only ASUN insider to lose was Shirley Diaz, although it was inevitable for an insider to lose in that race.
• 14 men and 8 women were elected to the Senate
• About 12 percent of the undergraduate student body voted, about the same as in the past few years
• Both advisory funding questions passed by more than 60 percent of the vote
• The closest race, in the School of Journalism, was decided by three votes

Once we have the numbers, we will compare voter turnout rates by college.

The most surprising result from this election was student support for increased fees. By significant margins, both questions passed. It is evidence that even in times of increased tuition and fees, students are willing to pay additional fees for specific programs and services.

Also of note is how smoothly this election was conducted. Major kudos to Commission Chair Jeremiah Todd and his entire crew. Their hard work is apparent and they deserve our praise. Great job, guys!

2010 ASUN General Election Uncertified Results

Winners in bold; NOTA stands for none of the above. Some analysis later.

President of the Associated Students
Charlie Jose-850
Casey Stiteler-713

Vice President of the Associated Students
Shirley Diaz-657
Leissan Sadykova-855

Senator for the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources (2 seats)
Jeffrey Fine-49
Corey Jokerst-78
Randy Pares-38
Chelsea Truax-61
NOTA-0

Senator for the College of Business Administration (3 Seats)
Jake Butera-151
Richard Corn-117
Jacob Crawley-91
Mathew Neben (Incumbent)-157
NOTA-20

Senator for the College of Education (2 seats)
Ashlee Benton-35
Jourdan Douglas-17
Edna Meza-43
David Ronan-48

Senator for the College of Engineering (2 Seats)
Alexandria Hill-70
Adam Khan-70
Roger Przybyla-53
NOTA-16

Senator for the College of Liberal Arts (8 Seats)
Joseph Barrett-124
Brandon Bishop (Incumbent)-231
Mitch Bottoset (Incumbent)-162
Samuel Crampton-144
Christopher Day-164
Branden Jung-167
Tatiana Kosyrkina-113
Lea Moser (Incumbent)-187
Ann Newsome (Incumbent)-164
Joey Nizuk-123
Jesus Palma-242
Jordan Weaver-119
NOTA-58

Senator for the College of Science (2 Seats)
Joseph Agor-38
Angel Arias-33
Jennifer Masters-54
Natasha Monga-87
Lauren Riley-74
NOTA-0

Senator for the Division of Health Sciences (2 Seats)
John Haller-51
Reynaldo Veloz-67
Kim Williams-70

Senator for the School of Journalism
Jonathan Moore-61
Misha Ray-59

Ballot Question 1- JV $5 Art Fee
Yes-865
No-506

Ballot Question 2- JV $25 Student Support Services Fee
Yes-855
No-534

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.

Fewer candidates file for election

Fewer students filed for ASUN elections this year than last, according to government records. As of the filing deadline Friday, 48 students filed for executive and legislative races, with 3 each in the presidential and vice presidential races, prompting a primary election on March 3-4.

Last year, 54 students filed in the executive and Senate races, 2 each for president and vice president and 50 for the Senate. In 2008, 41 students filed for office.

Of the 48 who filed, 3 have not yet qualified to run, all in the Senate, according to official listings. To qualify for election to the Senate, a candidate must have a 2.75 GPA, be enrolled in at least 7 undergraduate credits, be a member of the college in which the candidate is running, and pay a $50 filing fee.

Five incumbents are running for reelection in the Senate. Mathew Neben, in the College of Business, and Brandon Bishop, Mitch Bottoset, Lea Moser, and Ann Newsome, all in the College of Liberal Arts. Last year, 5 incumbents ran for reelection, all but one winning reelection.

Two candidates who ran for Senate but lost last year have filed again this year: Christopher Day and Tatiana Kosyrkina, both for the College of Liberal Arts.

In the presidential race, Casey Stiteler, who is the Director of Programming, will face off against Vice President Charlie Jose and Jacob Camp. Jose previously removed his name from candidacy but reapplied before the deadline.

In the vice presidential race, Sen. Shirley Diaz (Liberal Arts) will face Leissan Sadykova, a club commissioner, and Ryan Childers. Sadykova ran for Senate last year and lost.

The general election is March 10-11. All officers are elected to single year terms beginning on April 14.