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An Open Letter Shakes_peare to the Student grows 1n Union Chilliwack •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
RobertWaisman: Profile of a Holocaust Survivor
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VOLUME7 ISSUE 6
WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER24,
1999
Interview with Joey
SH-l'fflEAD andDOA page 12
Student Union declares Refereridu·m -null and void -~
by Christopher Bolster
The reason? Improper electoral procedure. On Friday November 12, the SUS declared the referendums void because they were conducted without having a master membership list to confirm the student status of the voters.
The Student Union Electoral committee, the body responsible for running referendums and elections, requested a voters list from the Registrar's office three days before polling began. Approximately an hour before the polling stations opened, the Student Union received the voters list. However, the list contained around sixteen hundred student numbers, about fiftytwo hundred numbers short of a complete list. When the Student Union realized the sizable.error, a call was made to Registrar Bill Cooke's office requesting a complete list. Polling then began with only a partial list. It wasn't until three days later, just after polling concluded, that the Student Union received the complete list. By then it was much too late.
The Student Union proceeded with the polling even though they did not have a complete voters list. The Student Union has taken responsibility for the fiasco, but the Cascade has learned the majority of the fault lies with the Registrar's office.
When questioned why the polling proceeded without the complete list, Stephanie Martin, the Chair of the Electoral Com mittee and President of the Student Union commented, "It was a judgement call. We proceeded in good faith that a new list was coming." She further commented, "We have never
From the same folks who brought you "Banner Madness" and my all time favorite "Exam Schedule Chaos," the UCFV Registrar now proudly presents "Referendum Insanity,". If you haven't yet heard, the recent referendum, as well as the recent SUS bi-elections, were deemed to be null and void.
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questioned the accuracy of the voters list that we've received from the Registrar. It is possible that all the voters lists that we have received could have been incorrect." As a registered society, the Student Union Society is required to have a complete membership list in th~ir office at all times. However, the University College, citing privacy legislation, refuses to comply. Instead, UCFV only gives a list of student numbers to the Student Union when they request a list for running an election or a referendum. Martin commented, "They [the Registrars office/Administration] make it impossible for the Student Union to operate legally. In fact they_force the Student Union to operate illegally."