New student elections regulations passed through Student Congress Tuesday seek to spare UNC students of a repeat of last year’s controversy.
The new bill — which modified Title VI of the Student Code — introduces a slew of new rules that members of student government say will make the process clearer for everyone involved.
Among the new features is a disciplinary points system. Candidates’ code violations are separated into seven different classes, with a different number of points allotted to each. Once a candidate reaches 10 points, he or she is disqualified.
And each point earned results in a five percent decrease in the candidate’s total starting budget.
“As you get closer to the end, and as people spend their money, they will be seriously incentivized not to commit violations,” said Zach De La Rosa, speaker of Student Congress.
Last year’s student body president election was the most venomous in recent memory, featuring several lawsuits and accusations of misbehavior between candidates.
Andrew Phillips, who was then the chairman of the Board of Elections, said the points system is a suitable remedy.
Last year, fines imposed against candidates who committed infractions were largely ineffective, Phillips said.
“It was tricky because the fine had to be proportional to the crime, but it was entirely left to the board’s discretion as to what was appropriate,” Phillips said.
The bill also adjusts several other aspects of the title.
