The Associated Students of California Lutheran University Government is split up into two segments, the senate and the programs board.   According to the ASCLUG constitution, the purpose of programs board is to represent the programming needs of the students of California Lutheran University.

Since the establishment of ASCLUG, the CLU student body has elected its programs board representatives. However, Programs Board Director junior Katy Crabtree recently presented an idea to help further develop the programs board committee; an amendment to the ASCLUG constitution that will change the way programs board representatives are chosen.

The proposed amendment states, “All Programs Board Representatives shall be selected: Programs Board Representatives are to be selected on qualifications and merit following an application and interview process in collaboration with the Programs Board Director, Executive Cabinet Representative and ranking official of the Division of Student Affairs and/or his/her designee(s).”

Because being a part of the programs board is time consuming and a lot of work, Crabtree presented the amendment in hopes of making future programs board committees more efficient.

“It’s not that things in the past have gone badly, it’s just to make things in the future more effective and more efficient for everyone,” Crabtree said.

Programs Board Commuter Representative junior Ryan Fleming gave a clear reason as to why the ASCLUG has decided to make the amendment.

“The purpose of this [amendment] is to get the most qualified people in positions to run the programs board,” Fleming said.

ASCLUG representative sophomore Lauren Neiger is supportive of the amendment, believing that it would help create more accountability for the members of the programs board.

“This is a very positive step in the right direction. Members of programs board have a lot of responsibility when planning these events and working with such large amounts of students. This will ensure accountability, responsibility and quality events for students, which is the most important thing,” Neiger said.

Not everyone who is a part of the ASCLUG agrees with the amendment. Programs Board Representative junior Carlos Moran feels that it might be taking away the rights of the student body.

“The negatives in my position are big. I opposed this amendment only because I believe that the student body should have a say on who gets to obtain this great leadership position,” Moran said.

Some members of the student body also have a few concerns. Although he is for the amendment, junior Ryan Brem feels that there might be a conflict of interest when applicants are going through the selection process.

“The one major concern that I have is if the selections are going to be fair. If this does get passed, I would hope that the students making the selection will make a fair decision on who would put forth the best effort, and not just select their friends for the position,” Brem said.
Crabtree believes that the process should be fair as there will be more than one member of the ASCLUG making the selections.

“The way that we have structured this is that the interview process would include the programs board director and another executive cabinet official, probably the president or another official, along with the adviser,” Crabtree said.“The adviser doesn’t have an official say, but they are obviously there to advise. If they feel that there might be a conflict of interest, or if anything doesn’t seem right, I am sure they will voice their opinions.”

Ultimately, the decision is up to the CLU student body. If the student body is unhappy with a selected member of the programs board, there is still an opportunity for them to revoke the appointed person’s position. There is an appeal process called “recall” written in the amendment, which would call for 10 percent of the student population to sign a petition voicing their opinion.

The ASCLUG passed the amendment 16 to 2 during its meeting on Feb. 3, meaning that it will now go to a vote by the student body. If the amendment passes, it will be in effect immediately and the new process of selection will be applied to the upcoming formation of the 2014-2015 programs board.

If the amendment fails, the student body will continue to elect programs board members.

The amendment will be included in the executive cabinet election ballot, which will take place from Feb. 11 at 8:00 a.m. until Feb. 12 at 5:00 p.m. on Blackboard or during the day at the flagpole.

Natalie Kalamdaryan
Staff Writer
Published Feb. 12, 2014