Bylaw debate causes student body controversy

In the past, "senators voted for friends or clubs that roommates were members of." -Phillips
Jaba Shalamberidze
November 22, 2009

 

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Student Government (SG) President Alexandru Panici's discussion of an SG bylaw that would bar SG senators from being executive officers of student clubs raised controversy among present senators and students, some of which argued that there is no hazard with people being in a conflict of interest.

SG senators who are also club officers might be biased while making decisions that affect the whole student body, Panici said.

SG Senator Zhikica Pagovski said the bylaw targets only him, because he is the only senator who is also a president of a club. Pagovski is a co-president of the Youth Empowerment Initiative (YEI) club, and he said he has "tried not to be subjective, because it is difficult to eliminate a conflict of interest."

Panici said that the bylaw is not directed towards specific individuals. It is there to eliminate future moral hazards, he added. Panici also said he does not want to see "12 SG senators being presidents of 12 university clubs."

"If senators are by nature active people, they should not be prevented to act as executives in student clubs," Pagovski said. He added he believes that senators will have preferences most of the time even if they are just regular club members.

Panici said he thinks the common practice of senators abstaining from voting when they have a conflict of interest is not enough to eliminate subjectivity. "The same senator might be disinclined to make unbiased vote for other clubs, knowing that because of the limitations of the budget there might not be enough funds when it comes to discussing his/her club funding," he added.

"Personally, I don't see the problem with being a senator and a president of a certain club, because there are existing SG procedures that can resolve the possible conflicts of interest. Furthermore, I think that AUBG students should not be punished for being involved and having different interests," Senator Jelena Vicic said.

"I think [Panici] has a point. But on the other side, you don't have to be a president to be biased while voting - that would be one of the reasons for me to say no to that bylaw, but other than that it makes sense," student Ecaterina Captari said.

Senator Sheker Myradova said she does not think a moral hazard exists. "With this bylaw, Panici is trying to show students that the SG is objective while distributing money among clubs. In reality, nothing will change. [The bylaw] is a bad idea if Panici wants to show the student body [it] is for their better future. He should find a different way to make people trust the SG," Myradova added.

Preventing government officials from having double interests is a common practice. "If you are in city council or parliament, in many societies you would not be able to be a president of an organization that is doing business with the parliament. That is conflict of interest," the SG advisor and Chair of the Political Science and International Relations Department Robert Phillips said.

Panici first mentioned the bylaw during a regular SG meeting on October 14.

Comments

To the SG President

Dear Mr. President, I glad that you stared to consider the independence of your government as a serious matter. The appearance of conflict of interests seriously threatens the legitimacy of the SG. However, I am surprised that your audaciousness to create a bylaw that will tackle this problem comes at this particular moment. Let me describe you the moment: it is a moment after your Treasurer ensured a huge pile of money for the club that actually she was a president (maybe still is); after your entrusted Treasurer clearly bypassed the Senate, humiliated the Senators with her determination not to allow the senate to grant money to a particular club. And it just happened that this club was the one whose founder and (ex)president had a personal conflict with your Treasurer. It is a moment in which the current SG "Great President" decided to restrict all "business clubs" - just because he did not liked the idea. A moment after the SG president without the permission of the Senate (without even daring to inform the Senate) has self-appointed for student representative to the Conduct Council without giving the chance some other competent students to apply and the appropriate Committee execute its duties together with the Senate as the Constitution and the Guidelines specify. and here we are, your bylaw. Something tells me that it is not very appropriate moment for that. How this bylaw will make things better? The record of your SG indicate that your team has showed poor democratic behavior (yeah, democracy is not just words, it's practice). It seems that you and your teammates have no problems to bypass the bylaws, the rules, procedures and constitution - why would they respect this bylaw now? Sorry, I forgot the bylaw only applies to senators, not executors. Let's be honest, we both know that if someone has a conflict of interest that influences decisions - it is a SG person that can influence the voting behavior of senators (like the President, Treasurer, someone as persuasive as you, not some freshmen senator that has not so persuasive power as you do). Even if we go further, most of the decisions taken by the Senate are actually coming after co-ordination among the whole SG before a meeting. Mostly what is decided is done outside a meeting time, you just go to a meeting and execute what you all (or few of you) decided. Do you think that this bylaw of yours will stop any of you lobbying for a particular club you like, or support? Take a look at the behavior of your SG in the past months and answer my question? Let me just add this - out of all SGs I've seen and heard about you are the most popular one. Your famous conflict of interest cases become so popular and known that even the last oldest alumni in the end of this world that has almost no connection with AUBG heard about them. No bylaw will change that image.
Submitted by Anonymous on November 24, 2009 - 02:56.