ASG meeting inefficient due to poor turnout

Despite big plans from members of the UNC-system Association of Student Governments, the organization’s latest meeting didn’t accomplish much.

The meeting on Saturday, which was held at UNC School of the Arts, failed to achieve quorum, and members were unable to vote on promised reform legislation or approve nominations for next year’s leadership positions.

And members of the association, which is composed of student leaders across the system and funded by an annual $1 student fee, were frustrated with the inefficient meeting.

“The March meeting is probably the most pivotal meeting of the year,” said Lauren Estes, Appalachian State University’s student body president. “ASG is even less effective when we don’t have quorum. We can’t do much of anything.”

“We just wasted everyone’s time and money,” she said, adding that ASG might have to add a special meeting in April to approve its budget.

The association has come under heavy criticism for its effectiveness in the past, and several reform bills were supposed to be discussed and voted on by the association Saturday. But the lack of quorum prevented the association from voting.

One of the reform bills would have allowed association executive officers to run for ASG presidency or vice presidency. Currently, only individuals who have served at least half a year as a delegate can be nominated.

Because the bill couldn’t be approved, problems arose for some potential candidates.

Current Senior Vice President Arjay Quizon will run for president. And Juan Virella, vice president of ASG’s government operations committee, will run with him as the senior vice presidential candidate.

They are running against delegate Cameron Carswell, from ASU, and Alecia Page, a delegate from Western Carolina University.

While both tickets declared their nomination, not enough ASG members were present to officially approve their candidacy.

Ron Hinton, associate vice president of the government operations committee, hopes to join the race with UNC-CH former delegate Kevin Kimball, but as Hinton has never been an ASG delegate, their nomination is stalled.

Hinton said the election bill, which would allow him to run, will be voted on at ASG’s Friday meeting in April — which historically has had low attendance. If ASG achieves quorum on Friday, Hinton and Kimball would technically only have one night to campaign before the vote the next day.

“It’s not desirable and it’s not fair,” Hinton said, adding that he was told he could campaign as normal because of the confusion.

Kimball and Hinton already have a website up outlining their campaign platform. Last year, Kimball challenged ASG President Atul Bhula and lost by three votes.

Carswell and Hinton both said that as president, they would try to ensure quorum at meetings. Bhula and Quizon could not be reached for comment.

Hinton said to get officers to want to attend meetings, he plans to go back to a “family culture.”

“It was like a family and everyone liked going to ASG,” he said.

Carswell said she would try to motivate officers to attend.

“It’s not a thing you’re wasting your weekend for, but an opportunity you’re taking advantage of.”

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