University students can expect a range of surprising and not-so-surprising referenda on the spring ballot next week.
The ballot will include five referenda for students to vote on -- one Student Council-initiated item, one from the Class Trustees Program and three student-initiated items.
Student-initiated referenda required the submission of a petition with 900 signatures by Wednesday night, University Board of Elections Chair Brian Cook said.
A major student-initiated referendum is an item supporting domestic partner benefits. The measure is an attempt to gauge and rally student support for same-sex benefits, said fourth-year College student Blair Reeves, the initiator of the referendum. More than 1,500 students signed the petition.
The petition comes in the wake of the recent DontGivetoUVa.com Web site asking donors to refrain from giving money to the University until same-sex partners of employees are granted benefits.
"I think that some people viewed DontGivetoUVa.com as being sort of abrasive," said Noah Sullivan, Council executive chief of staff. "They wanted to establish if there was student support [for the issue] without being so confrontational."
An unusual student-initiated referendum also will appear on the spring ballot. Students will be asked to vote on whether "Greg is delightful."
Third-year College student Jonathan Soma said he spent two and a half days gathering signatures at Newcomb Hall and Observatory Hill in order to have the statement appear on the ballot.
Soma emphasized that his measure has no affiliation with Council presidential candidate Greg Scanlon, nor is it an attempt to make light of Council or the partner benefits referendum.
"That makes me feel terrible because it is really just trying to have some fun," Soma said.
Two other referenda address Student Council procedure.
A referendum that would give the first-year president and transfer student liaison voting privileges renews a similar effort that failed last fall.
The fall referendum passed the student body, but Council deferred the measure over concern about its constitutionality and recommended that a revised version be placed on the spring ballot. A student petition garnered the measure a spot on the ballot this time.
A fourth referendum, which narrowly passed a contentious Council meeting Tuesday, would alter the voting procedure on Council. The measure would allow the executive vice president to cast a vote only in the case of a tie and bestowing all other Council officers, including the president, with the same voting powers as other Council members.
The final referendum was generated by the Class Trustees Program, which recently issued an updated constitution that requires student approval.
"There were a lot of really outdated things -- it hadn't been updated since 1997," said Justin Ferira, fourth-year class president and president of the trustees. "There are no sweeping changes -- it is just updated to apply to the changing size of the class and the changing structure of the trustees program."
In order to make changes to legislative bodies' constitutions, two-thirds of the student body population -- 8,000 students -- previously was required to vote in approval of a change. In accordance with the updated constitution, 10 percent of the student body must vote in the elections and two-thirds must vote in approval -- approximately 210 students.
Cook said it is important for students to seriously consider the referenda.
"In setting signature thresholds for referenda, the UBE decided that having to gather 900 signatures would require a very considerable amount of effort," he said. "If this is something that a thousand students felt strongly enough to sign their names on a petition, it is something that the student body should consider seriously."
Editor's Note: Jonathan Soma is the Cavalier Daily online manager and Blair Reeves is a columnist. Neither Soma nor Reeves had any involvement in the writing or editing of this article.
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