VOLUME 108, ISSUE NO. 21 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2024
2024 SA ELECTION RESULTS PRESIDENT
% vote:
JAE KIM
64%
Brown College junior, current Brown president 34.2%
TREVOR TOBEY
SA EXECUTIVE ELECTIONS TREASURER
% vote:
THOMAS NGO
49.5% 48.2%
JOSH STALLINGS
SECRETARY
% vote:
CHELSEA ASIBBEY
53.6% 44.0%
CALLA DOH
INTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
% vote:
CRYSTAL UNEGBU
94.9%
EXTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
% vote:
ASIANNA JUNGE
95.5% % vote for Yes
CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES*
83.2%
UCourt complaint alleges SA power grab, claims ballot inaccurately represented constitutional changes New constitution removes turnout requirement, decreases approval threshold for future amendments VIOLA HSIA & MARIA MORKAS
ASST. NEWS EDITORS
The Student Association ballot inaccurately represented proposed constitutional changes that “consolidated power in the hands of fewer people,” an unnamed student alleged in a complaint filed with the University Court Feb. 22. Specifically, the ballot failed to disclose the new constitution’s elimination of turnout thresholds for future amendments, the complaint said. The constitution was ratified Feb. 29 with 83.2% of students voting in favor; 1,639 students — 35.8% of the undergraduate body — voted on the ballot question. “The complainant alleges that the Student Association acted improperly when they failed to mention on the official summary that the constitution was being amended to eliminate the need for a 2/3rds majority and 20% turnout in order to change the [constitution],” UCourt chair Hugo Gerbich Pais wrote in an email to the Thresher. The unnamed complainant accused the SA of initiating a power grab with the
new constitution. “[The SA] misrepresented the content of the amendment in order to pass an amendment that consolidated power in the hands of fewer people,” the student wrote. The complaint also noted that the summary of the changes said “amendments can be passed by a majority of students when in actuality it is a majority of responding students.” The new constitution passed the Senate in November 2023. The amendments were brought to the student body for approval on the SA regular election ballot last week. When students opened their ballots, the final question, titled “CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES,” listed a series of “major changes” and provided a link to a document where students could review all the changes. A previous complaint was filed in April 2023 about the legitimacy of a nearly identical series of constitutional amendments, which passed in an election that did not meet the approval
SEE COMPLAINT PAGE 2
*THE UNIVERSITY COURT IS INVESTIGATING A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE BALLOT WILLIAM LIU / THRESHER
SA voter turnout over the years 60% 51.6% 48.3%
Regular election voter turnout
50%
2024 turnout 42.1%
41.7%
40% 39.5%
30%
26.8% 27.2% 23.7%
20%
15.0%
10%
24 20
23 20
22 20
21 20
20 20
19 20
18 20
17 20
16 20
ALICE SUN / THRESHER
SEE PAGE 2 FOR THE FULL STORY
How to get your money from Rice’s ‘568 cartel’ lawsuit settlement PRAYAG GORDY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Rice settled a class action lawsuit in February for $33.75 million. The complaint alleged that Rice and 16 other elite universities illegally conspired to limit financial aid. Rice settled before trial — as do the vast majority of civil cases — and the university denies any wrongdoing. Ten of the 17 universities have settled so far, each for a larger sum.
The settlements currently total $284 million. An estimated 200,000 current and former students at the universities are eligible for the settlement payments, including many Rice students and alumni. The plaintiffs estimate that the average claimant will receive $2,000. You can’t yet file a claim, but you can register for updates from the settlement administrator to stay on top of the news. Here’s what to know.
How do I get my money? The court preliminarily approved Rice’s settlement in a Feb. 28 filing. The court also approved the settlement website and notice plan. The courtappointed settlement administrator — in this case, the Angeion Group — will start to use emails and addresses from Rice’s directory information to reach out to eligible students and alumni. Rice students and alumni since Fall 2003 could be eligible for the settlement. Specifically, you must be a U.S. citizen or
permanent resident who received needbased financial aid covering some — but not all — of your tuition, fees and room and board. (If you received a full ride, any allegedly improper limits on financial aid wouldn’t have affected you.) The court-approved settlement website is financialaidantitrustsettlement.com. You can click “register for updates” to be notified when you can apply for the settlement class. Editor’s Note: This article has been cut off for print. Read more at ricethresher.org.