The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2005/03/04/sa_election

March 4, 2005 > News > SA Spring Elections will fill 13 vacant positions

SA Spring Elections will fill 13 vacant positions

By Risa Gordon | Thresher Editorial Staff

SA Spring Elections will be held to fill 13 open positions in blanket tax organizations. Voting will be held online at the SA Web site, http://sa.rice.edu, and will begin March 16 at midnight and end March 21 at 1 p.m.

The open positions are Student Association treasurer, University Court junior class representative and senior class representative, Campanile editor in chief, University Council representative and eight Honor Council at-large positions.

The RPC referenda that failed to pass in the General Elections because not enough students cast votes will not be on the ballot because Rice Program Council’s constitution states referenda can only appear on the General Elections ballot, SA Elections Chair Julia Tucker-Huth, a Jones College sophomore, said.

Jones sophomore Alison Morgan, who was elected U. Court junior representative, declined to accept her Honor Council position, for which she ran uncontested, after being informed that students cannot hold positions on both U. Court and Honor Council at the same time, according to the U. Court Constitution.

Honor Council Chair Chris Edwards (Will Rice ‘01) said it is disappointing but understandable that Honor Council positions are often uncontested or left open until the Spring Elections.

“I think it’s an important, valuable part of any democratic process that a constituency have choices of candidates from which to pick,” Edwards, a chemistry graduate student, said. “However, in the case of something as important to the functioning of the university of our Honor System, I understand and respect that there are few who are willing to come forward and accept that level of responsibility and commitment.”

Should any Honor Council positions not be filled, the Honor Council’s Constitution requires the council to hold another election within 20 class days.

Matthews said voter turnout in the Spring Elections will probably be low, as in the past, because most high-profile positions, such as SA president and Sammy the Owl, have been filled. In last year’s Spring Elections, 256 students voted, while 1,162 voted in last week’s General Elections.

To increase turnout, Tucker-Huth said announcements were sent to club presidents and college secretaries for college listservs, and fliers were given to SA senators to hang around their colleges.

Petitions for Spring Elections positions are due March 14 at

1 p.m. at the SA office in the Student Center. Matthews said the petition deadline may be extended if few petitions are filed due to Spring Break, which falls in the middle of the time period for submitting petitions.

End of article

Back to top