The executive board of the Arts & Sciences Council unanimously decided last night to appoint College representatives to the two vacancies on the Honor Committee. The appointments will be made following an open debate this Wednesday in Garrett Hall.
A referendum passed in this spring's election added two College representative positions to the Committee. The Honor constitution states that referenda take effect immediately, but the two additional spots were not a part of the initial electoral process and thus currently remain unfilled.
The procedure for appointing the two members was not laid out in the referendum itself, introducing some confusion as to how best to address the appointments.
"Typically when we have a position to fill from any school we defer to that school's council to make the appointment," Honor Committee Chair Alison Tramba said.
Executive board members said several alternative solutions were discussed, but they felt this option took into consideration the time constraints imposed by Honor's election of its new executive board during a retreat next weekend.
"We just don't want to deprive the College of picking the chair of Honor," ASC President Erica Siegmund said.
Siegmund also noted that during discussion of the options, Tramba suggested ASC fill the vacancies with the candidates who came in fourth and fifth place in the spring election. Siegmund said while the procedure Tramba suggested is legitimate, ASC did not feel it was the best option.
"The only main alternative to a more open process was just to take those top two folks and that really didn't sit well with us," said executive board member Jeff Frank. "It would have been a different kind of election if the changes had been in place."
Frank expressed some frustration with the problems introduced by this referendum, noting that he wished there had been a more drawn-out elections process.
Honor counsel Brian O'Neill, who introduced the referendum to the Committee, said the original intent of the referendum has been fulfilled by leaving the decision up to the Arts & Sciences Council. O'Neill, who is among the four candidates remaining on the ballot, said he had no official influence in the decision.
"I do think that the appropriate body to decide is the Arts & Sciences Council, including if it should be filled this year and if so, how it should be filled," he said.
During the debate, the four remaining candidates on the ballot will be invited to make statements and answer questions from the public prior to a ballot vote during ASC's closed session. All discussion up until the vote will be open, and ASC representatives will be asked not to discuss the issue with the candidates until the debate.
"We really encourage anyone in the College to come to the debate and express their concerns," Siegmund said. "We want this to be an open process."
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