North Carolina State Student Body,
On Tuesday I was asked by Technician editor-in-chief, Mark Herring, to sit down and discuss the Elections Commission and what role we serve in Student Government and how the Commission benefits students here at our wonderful institution. Needless to say I was very disappointed by the article that ran March 13 about violations that have occurred against students and painted the Commission, specifically me, as a malicious commissioner out to disqualify candidates. Although I do take my job as commissioner very seriously, I work with an incredible group of students: Brian Parks, Megan Melbourne, Brittany King, Jessica Green, Simran Mann, Brittaney Rea, Kyle Tervo, Mara Chambers and Hilary Chan, and as a collective Board we make decisions about elections here at N.C. State.
At this interview, Mark and I discussed the violations of candidates, which is public information found on the N.C. State Student Government-Elections Board website, we discussed each of the candidates’ diverse backgrounds here at N.C. State and their contributions to the University and we also discussed some of the major changes this year to statutes and how they will affect the elections. When a student receives a violation they are given the option to appeal the Board’s decision through the hearing process. Once the candidate appeals the violation, the candidate and the accuser will be summoned to a hearing by the Board, where the candidate is given the opportunity to plead his/her case and the accuser is asked to produce any information and evidence of the violation. The Board will then ask both parties questions about the allegations prior to coming to a final decision as to whether or not to uphold the decision regarding the violation.
The article also discussed Student Government’s previous method of rectifying campaign violations. Student Government has only collected at most $50 in fines and any monies were redistributed to the promotion of elections here on campus. Student Government has switched from a monetary fine system to a strict “three violations and you are out” model to abide by state law as a state funded institution, and thus far this model has worked out well for the Board and for the candidates.
Elections are a time for individuals who truly believe they are capable of carrying out the wishes of the student body and representing N.C. State in the community in a positive way to bravely “throw their name into the hat” and gain the trust and admiration of the students here at State. Some of the topics and my comments in the article were misconstrued and I felt it was important to write this letter to address any confusion students may have. Going forward, any information you want to know about the candidates or the Elections Board is available on the N.C. State Student Government Website (students.ncsu.edu/vote), so go check it out and form your own opinion about these student body candidates and do not forget to vote on March 26 at noon.
Victoria Melbourne,
Student Government Elections Commissioner
