Elections Chair Sciortino was censured by the Graduate Assembly due to a 'miscommunication.' It sounds more like a part of the ongoing money struggle between the ASUC and Graduate Assembly, especially considering that Mr. Sciortino has attended more Graduate Assembly meetings then just about any other ASUC Official. Mr. Sciortino writes

I have been working closely with the GA since I was appointed to make sure that they have an equitable voice in this matter. My Publicity Coordinator has had a very successful meeting with the GA President, and I have not failed to attend a single GA delegates meeting or send my mass e-mails to the GA as well as the ASUC senate. The guidance of the GA has been invaluable in helping me achieve my goals for this election and it would be a disservice to the students if this help would be cut off over a misunderstanding.

The ASUC actually passed a bill to rip the money from the GA's carcass, but I'm unsure where that struggle is at right now. (I can't show you the bill since Bill Tracking on asuc.org hasn't worked since at least last week. asuc.org: Click It!)

The censure is over two issues. The first is that the Graduate Assembly claims that Mr. Sciortino claimed that he would support a bid to have the Graduate Assembly pay in proportion to their election participation. They currently pay one-third. Considering that about 500 Graduate Assembly people voted last year, this would be about 1/8th of total, so a substantial reduction in costs. BUT, Mr. Sciortino is not saying that he now opposes the proposition. Rather, he's saying that an Elections Chair should be neutral on fiscal issues. He writes:

As Elections Council Chair I am empowered to advocate for ASUC Elections By-laws reform: this purely fiscal matter is not an issue which falls in my jurisdiction.

It's unclear how the Graduate Assembly could've wanted otherwise: fiscal neutrality is the mark of a good Elections Chair. The issue was not helped by Mr. Sciortino's tendency to make nervous jokes at the podium.

The second issue, not covered in the article, is that the GA construed some of Mr. Sciortino's comments to say he would support the Graduate Assembly funding for previous year's funding. Naturally, the GA has no interest in paying even more for Elections Publicity. Especially since accusing the ASUC of mishandling Elections is a prime reason for their withholding serious money from the ASUC.

While we're on the topic, the ongoing ASUC/GA funding dispute is about to go to the Judicial Council. It's unclear to me how the Graduate Assembly thinks they'll win at that level, and what their strategy is if they lose. Email This Post!