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Fighting for the right to be right
Political affiliation jeopardizes conservative student's office
By Amaury Gallais and Andrew R Quinio
Posted on 03/05/05
The original Daily Cal article is down at the moment. We have mirrored it at the bottom of the page.
The intolerant atmosphere that conservatives at Cal face has, once again, been blatantly demonstrated by our elected officials. Judicial Council nominee Amaris White appeared before the ASUC Senate last Wednesday, for her confirmation hearing. After the senators voted in favor of White’s appointment, they found out about her conservative affiliation. This prompted senators who had confirmed her to seek a reversal in their decision.
As elected officials, it is the ASUC's responsibility to represent the student body and as such must allow White to serve on the Judicial Council. Every UC Berkeley student must be aware of the intolerance that some in the ASUC have toward differing opinions. Such an issue goes beyond the nomination of a conservative minority voice; it is about the preservation of the freedom of thought, speech, and association.
White had applied to the Judicial Council three weeks ago with an application and resume that detailed the leadership positions she took in high school, her involvement with the campus newspaper and her aspiration to serve the student body as best as she could. She then successfully completed all the steps of the confirmation process. The President of the Association, who received her application, approved and nominated White. White then received overwhelming support in the Congressional Review committee, on which a select number of senators sit. This endorsement permitted her to appear before the entire Senate, which after interviewing White, voted in favor of her appointment on the Judicial Council.
However, a few minutes after their votes were cast, the Senators of the liberal party CalServe found out from an audience member that White was affiliated with the two conservative clubs on campus - the Berkeley College Republicans and the California Patriot Magazine. White had made the decision not to disclose her affiliation with those organizations as she realized they would have terminated her chances of getting on the Council.
“My wish is to serve the student body to the best of my ability,” White said. “The pressure of being a conservative is so great that I would have never even been given the chance to appear before the Senate had I made my affiliations with BCR and the Patriot public.”
Republican and conservative-leaning students at the liberal UC Berkeley campus are alienated in an environment already hostile to their mere existence. Overall, opportunity for a conservative in Berkeley is stifled. The controversy surrounding White is just the tip of the ice berg of continued hostility toward conservatives.
Conservatives in our student government face tremendous difficulties once their political affiliations are disclosed. BCR member and former chair of the Judicial Council Mike Davis said, “It’s nothing new; they were saying vicious things about me when I was on the council.”
The evidence is now overwhelming: the ASUC might be our official government but it does not represent the student body. In fact, what the liberal members of the Association are concerned about is the functioning of the student government under one ideological mindset.
At UC Berkeley, the principle of “diversity” is drilled into every student’s mind. However at Berkeley, diversity strictly concerns the variety of ethnic backgrounds, not the acceptance of different creeds. Diversity at Berkeley is preached in the broadest of terms, but practiced in the narrowest of forms.
CalServe, the student political party that seeks to overturn White’s appointment, is also the group that makes “diversity” one of its main priorities. In September 2004, student Senator Noerena Limon described her ideal judicial nominee: “Nominations […] submitted [should] reflect the diversity of all students so that the council is not as homogeneous as it is now,” Limon said. White, a minority female, was nonetheless threatened with the removal of her office merely because of her political affiliation.
CalServe Senator Dena Takruri stated in October of 2004, “We want to foster an environment that is welcoming to all the students we represent, not to deter them from even entering senate chambers.” She forgot to mention that the “welcoming environment” is only reserved for liberals.
In November of 2004, CalServe Senator Brent Kastenbaum remarked, “We have a hostile environment to learn in. The ASUC continues to disrespect this community.” He, of course, wasn’t referring to the hostility towards the conservatives on campus, which is very much alive and well.
I don’t recall seeing a sign outside of the ASUC chambers reading: “Conservatives need not apply.” Is our autonomous student government restricted only to those who are of a liberal viewpoint? Telling from the events surrounding White, it seems that Berkeley’s reiterated value of “diversity” has a long way to go.
As much as they want to emphasize diversity, the leaders of Berkeley’s Student Government remain inconsistent with the principle. They demonstrate, protest, and fight for affirmative action programs to include all races. At the same time, the same students demonstrate, protest, and fight to maintain ideological purity, and silence the conservative voice. By seeking White’s removal, our student leaders have officially terminated the representative system based on merit which would ultimately ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of our student government.
Friday, March 4, 2005
Senators Say Appointee Hid Conservative Affiliations
ASUC President Plans to Override His Pick For Judicial Council
By Lisa Humes-Schulz
Daily Cal Staff Writer
ASUC senators are alleging that a newly appointed judicial council member, who the senate confirmed Wednesday night, misled the Senate about her political group involvement.
Senators say Amaris White, a former Daily Cal reporter, did not reveal her ties to the conservative California Patriot magazine and the Berkeley College Republicans when the senators asked what groups White participated in.
“Did she deliberately try to mislead us? The answer is yes,” said SQUELCH! Senator Ben Narodick, who confronted White about her group affiliations outside of the senate chambers Wednesday. “It was obvious that she wasn’t being forthcoming with us.”
White had told the senate at her confirmation hearing that she provided art for student publications, but did not specify the publications.
An Internet search revealed that White is the art editor for the Patriot, Narodick said. He said he was unable to raise this issue during the hearing.
“I didn’t mention it because I didn’t think it was relevant,” White said. “I don’t think that it will be a problem because the cases that come before the council are mostly concerning the ASUC. My political views should have no effect whatsoever.”
The concerns over White’s honesty prompted CalSERVE senators to push the senate to reconsider her confirmation after the vote Wednesday, but they failed to garner the 14 necessary votes.
ASUC President Misha Leybovich, who nominated White for the seat, is expected to submit a veto to override the appointment and oust White from the council.
“Lying is unacceptable, especially in the body of the ASUC that is supposed to hold the association accountable,” Leybovich said. “To start off one’s Judicial Council career with a dishonest way of getting there just really doesn’t sit well with me. This is absolutely not a personal attack; clearly I think she’s qualified to be on the council, but a lie provides a barrier that no qualification can overcome.”
Political affiliation can often tip the scales in a potential council member’s appointment, since the council hears suits that often split along party lines. Some senators are reluctant to vote for radical left-leaning and right-leaning appointees.
Leybovich said he has seen council appointees hide affiliations to ensure their appointment.
“I can see where she’s coming from to hide that information, though I don’t endorse her decision,” said council Chair Robert Gregg. “This situation might reflect negatively on the credibility of individual justices.”
Some senators and officials said the push to void White’s appointment is driven by her political affiliation, not her failure to mention the Patriot.
“They’re pissed as hell they voted for a Republican … and are demagoguing that she lied to save face,” former council Chair Mike Davis said in an e-mail. “It’s nothing new. They were saying vicious things about me when I was on the council.”
But the legitimacy of a presidential veto is also in question. Leybovich can override main motions, but officials are at odds whether an appointment qualifies as a main motion.
“The president can veto legislative actions of the Senate, which an act of confirmation is certainly not,” Davis said. “Amaris should apologize for lying and everyone should move on.”
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