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Show Dead-O- n ,THE oTJ if Tm nil f V. gives you the hot A IT m ti 9. jfw 1 fi soon-to-b- e TT MJ I. AH f Predictions: II Slow Off ft ill III' frllillTW I scooon Magazine pf the " Oscar winners. u the Starting Line: ASUU presidential candidates don't impress in first debate of the year, according to Laura Weiss. 1 muni ,,itMwwwwti,.nu t.w.i.mi)wmi -n Season-Endin- g A Injury: - tumor on her spine will force Annie Medcalf to sit out for good. The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2002 VOL 111 NO 121 Debate Kicks Off ASUU Campaign 2002 37 Candidates Fined, Impact Appeals Ruling ERIKA JOHNSON Chronicle News Writer ERIKA JOHNSON Chronicle News Writer Although the 37 candidates who missed a mandatory meeting will not be disqualified, they will have to pay a $25 fine. The Elections Committee reversed an earlier decision Tuesday that disqualified all student body office candidates that failed to attend one of three mandatory meetings in January. The committee originally voted to disqualify one student who missed the meeting, but the ruling affected 36 other candidates. After debating the issue for two hours, the committee decided to fine all 37the candidates rather than disqualify them. "We wanted to be fair and impartial, we wanted to make sure our ruling was just on the fact of what happened," said Olivia Howell of the elections committee. "We agreed on a fee and a written statement" The elections bylaws in Redbook, the ASUU constitution, limit campaign spending for General Assembly candidates to $100 and Student Senate spending to $200, including fines. Members of the Impact Party who plan to appeal the ruling believe that $25 is too much and candidates could lose votes because of smaller budgets. Impact, the party most affected by the fines, also wishes to appeal the decision based on principle. "I'm concerned that if there are decisions being made not in compliance with Redbook, it can be done again and again," said Heidi Spilker, Impact campaign coordinator. "We want to make elections policy as clear as possible." Impact will turn in their appeal today, and the case will go before the Supreme Court a group of seven students with jurisdiction over all ASUU constitutional problems. The Impact Party can appeal the case to the Committee on Student Affairs and the Board of Trustees if they disagree with the Supreme Court The decision affects 24 of Impact's 60 candidates, but only 7 candidates from the Elevation party. Elevation does not plan to appeal the decision. "We feel fine about it," said Allen, the presidential candidate from Elevation. "They deserve it. You don't want to elect people that aren't going to meetings." The Apathy and Probable Cause parties have no Assembly and Senate Ann-Mar- RED ie candidates and therefore were not affected by the fines. Besides the fine, all 37 candidates must sign a statement stating that they understand the election rules. Impact plans to base the appeal on the lack of benefits from attending the meeting, inaccuracies in the list of students and the polinon-attendi- ng cies in Redbook. k The elections policies listed in do not demand that candidates Red-boo- see FINED, page 4 Campus community, student services and parking were the main topics of discussion at the first student candidate debate. The eight students running for president and vice president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah met at noon Wednesday to introduce their platforms to the campus and one another. Chronicle Editor in Chief Matt Canham moderated the debate. The candidates first told the audience of about 35 students five things they would do if elected to office. Candidates Steven Paradise and Rodney Earl from the Apathy Party spoke first about building a sense of community and increasing awareness and publicity on campus. They also said they would like to support the radio station, which the current ASUU administration would like to stop funding. Earl, the Apathy party vice presidential candidate also said his party was ignorant, and if elected to office, he would find important issues to address. Bill Edwards from the Impact Party spent much of his introduction discussing parking. Edwards said he wanted more spaces created, the campus shuttle system improved and a push for students to use alternate forms of transportation. He also addressed tuition, promising I J 4,mmd ', The eight candidates for ASUU president and vice president wait to speak on to inform students, stay active in the pus," he said. He suggested improving and and strengthening those communities. make Utah Student Association sure tuition does not continually .'Steven Rinehart, Probable Cause increase. presidential candidate, introduced The third topic Edwards discussed himself as the law student suing Transwas student involvement portation and Parking Services and "There are communities on cam spent much of his opening statement J,K. : v Government Relations Director Kelly Ann Booth explains why Gov. Mike Leavitt should veto HB331 at the Capitol. Students Ask Leavitt to Veto Bill Requiring 60 Hours for Residency The presence of dozens of college students turned the heads of tourists at the state Capitol Wednesday, but students will have to wait until next week to know how the governor will react to their plea. Students organized a rally at the Capitol to urge Gov. Mike Leavitt to veto House Bill 331 instead of signing the legislation. The bill, which the House of Representatives and the Senate approved during the 2002 legislative session, requires students to acquire 60 credit hours in Utah before being eligible for state residency. Legislators drafted the bill hoping to create additional funding in a year were lawmakers hacked nearly $20 million from higher education's portion of the state budget. State fiscal analysts estimated the policy change would create $5 million for the state's colleges and universities. out-of-sta- te the daily utah chronicle is on Hall. discussing parking. "We will sec student parking restored," he said. He promised to build a parking structure, saying it is possible and affordable. see DEBATE, page 4 Chronicle Asst. News Editor i Chronicle Asst. News Editor the steps of Kingsbury JAKE PARKINSON i JAKE PARKINSON Wfli 1 Administrators Outline 9.3 Tuition Proposal A ASUU IIS i K-U- Nearly 20 students showed up to the mandatory meeting to discuss next year's tuition increase with U administrators Wednesday. There were more students than expected and more than last year, U President Bcrnie Machen said. Since legislators passed the Truth in Tuition Bill last year, the presidents of each state institution are required by law to meet with students and explain what additional monies created by tuition increases will fund. Utah Student Association President Steve Palmer says $5 million is a "liberal" estimation. "Students within the state believe the bill's costs are too great," he said. U student body vice president Mike Nelson said he hopes the governor will take a closer look at the impact of the bill. U administrators don't agree with the legislation, but the U is dependent on the money the bill will create, said Dave Pershing, senior vice president for academic affairs. If Leavitt vetoes the bill and docs not readjust the budget the U would lose millions of dollars, he said. For Utah State University student Glenn Wiggam, the bill will force him back to the University of Wyoming. "I just can't afford it. I took out a loan for this year, but I was counting on gaining residency for next. I can't go that far into debt" he said. Wiggam said it was a move based on "convenience" because USU is closer to his hometown of Evanston, Wyo., than the University of Wyoming is. "You've probably read about it. It has been set for weeks and it hasn't changed," Machen said. "For next year we're suggesting a 9.3 percent increase in tuition." U student body president Ben Lowe still supports U administrators' recommendation. He commended them on keeping the increase below 10 percent. During the meeting, U Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dave Pershing explained that lawmakers cut $8.5 million from the U's budget during the legislative session. Budget reductions left- enrollment growth "dangerously" underfunded. The Legislature also left no extra see CAPITOL, page 4 see TUITION, page 4 the world wide web at - www.DailyUtahChronicle.com |