Student Senate presidential election results may be questionable

Special re-election is possible

Starting in early 1994, I worked for my first-ever newspaper, The Northern Student, the student newspaper at Bemidji State University, where I attended and received my bachelor's degree in mass communication. Over three years, I would be a staff writer, news editor, managing editor and editor. I wrote everything from news stories to feature stories to sports stories to opinion pieces. It was the greatest training ground a journalist could ever have, and I am grateful to the many talented people I worked alongside in my years at The NS.

May 3, 1995

By Devlyn Brooks

News Editor

It is spring time. Most students are winding down for the quarter and making plans for their summers. However, the Student Senate has some major decisions to make: President-elect Navin Xavier might not have been a student when he was voted into office during the April 11 and 12 elections.

On Tuesday, Student Senate President Paul Hetland said he was told by Acting Registrar Dave Carlson that Xavier has not been registered as a student since fall quarter. According to Senate Advisor Ken Brandt, Carlson was also writing a letter to Hetland which he would receive Wednesday, May 3, stating this same information.

In light of this information, both Brandt and Hetland said they would guess that a re-election would be necessary.

According to Hetland, Xavier was not registered at BSU when he ran for president, with his running mate Brent Glass, due to reasons not released by the Senate. Hetland said that the night before the spring elections he heard rumors of Xavier's circumstances, but the Senate did not want to act on just rumors.

"In hindsight, we made a mistake," Hetland said. "But at the time we were thinking that if we did remove his name from the ballot, and we were wrong, Senate could have been sued for removing a legitimate candidate."

The elections were held, Xavier and Glass were voted in as president and vice president and the Senate approved the election results. However, they discovered that the rumors may be true, and last week during a Senate cabinet meeting, it was decided that action should be taken for precautionary measures, Hetland said.

The matter was turned over to Legislative Affairs Chair Ryan Bronson and his committee to decide what action would be appropriate if Xavier was indeed not enrolled.

On Monday, Bronson presented the committee's recommendation to the Senate which suggest rescinding the approval of the presidential election results. Bronson said the Senate could do this and it would only affect the president-elect and vice president-elect because they have not been sworn into office. The newly-elected senators would not be affected by a special election.

The legislative committee also ruled that Glass could not assume the presidency. If Xavier is found to be an invalid presidential candidate, Glass would likewise be an invalid vice presidential candidate.

Bronson stressed to Senate that rescinding their approval of the results simply cancels their stamp of approval and places the standing of the election in sort of a limbo. Therefore, the Senate could still approve the results at a later date if Xavier was found to have been a valid candidate.

After nearly a two-and-a-half-hour discussion, the Senate decided to table the matter due to lack of factual information about Xavier's status at the time of elections. The voted to reconvene Wednesday, May 3, when they might know more about the situation. Hetland said he was determined to find a paper trail that would provide convincing evidence either way.

Bronson, who would be the chair of a special election, said he would try to schedule the election for May 15, 16 and 17 if it is found necessary. He said the Senate constitution requires a written release making students aware of the election at least a week in advance.

The possibility of a new election seems to present another problem as well. Anybody who meets the requirements of running for the presidency could put their name on the ballot, even if they didn't run the first time. Bronson told the Senate that anyone thinking about running in the new election should consider the amount of the work it takes, and ask themselves whether they are qualified to run.

One person who has said he will run if a new election is necessary is senior Brett McDowell.

"I was unable to run for president during the last election because I was the election chair," McDowell said.

Xavier said he doesn't mind if other people join the race. "The more the merrier. I don't feel jealous by people wanting to run," he said.