STUDENTS at the Conservatory of Music have ratified a constitution allowing “overstaying” students to run for the student council.
This is the first charter to be ratified in the Conservatory’s 65-year history, Music Student Council President Sherry Ann Cantor said.
“The main purpose [of the constitution] is to modify the rules on candidacy because we [had qualification] provisions that required a specific number of enrolled units,” Cantor said in an interview.
The new constitution allows students to run for office even if enrolled for less than 15 units. Students with a maximum of five units of failed subjects will also be allowed to run.
In contrast, the Student Election Code of 2007 requires a candidate for any position in the local student council to be enrolled for at least 15 units and have a general weighted average of at least 2.50, without failures.
“But our charter considers overstaying because that is the primary plight of every Music student. Many overstaying students take major subjects that correspond to only one unit,” Cantor explained.
Twenty-five percent of Music students ratified the constitution through ballot. With 19 articles, it is the longest college-based constitution in the University.
The constitution, drafted by the Music Student Council last January, was patterned after the Central Student Council’s (CSC) constitution. It was posted for approval last March 6, while the voting ended last March 31.
The new constitution defined “student body” as the official student government of the conservatory.
The body is separated into two entities: the Conservatory of Music Student Council and the Conservatory of Music Student Senate. The senate is composed of all elected department officers and first-year and second-year class presidents.
In 2010, the student council was able to draft a charter, but it was not ratified.
