PAVE Chair Outlines Constitutional Concerns

Today is day two to vote on the proposed ASM Constitution. In the spirit of informing voters, I would like to share some of my thoughts as a fellow student and as a member of an organization funded by Student Segregated Fees. First, this constitutional amendment is not a reform, it is an all out restructure. We need real reform in ASM. The problem with our student government is not its structure, but its current leadership. Second, a powerful executive branch will transfer power away from student committees. ASM was revamped eight years ago to be a grassroots organization in order to give students the space to exert their influence on this campus. Reverting to a top-down system changes the structure of ASM, effectively changing the role of student voices in our governing body. Finally, despite the quantity of listening sessions held after the constitution had already been drafted, students were not really engaged in the "reform" of ASM. Listening sessions were announced on the day of (one session announced via e-mail half of an hour after it had started) and did not provide meaningful space for students to provide feedback that was counter to the vision of the drafters. I think that if the Constitutional Committee had implemented what students have to say, we would be voting on a proposed reform to ASM that would not reinvent the wheel, that would propose changes to reflect what we have learned from the past and current structure of ASM, and would leave the agency of students intact. For the benefit of the student body and the future of ASM, vote "No" today at http://asm.uwsc.wisc.edu/

Ally Cruickshank
PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment)