The ASUC tonight killed debate on a bill to oppose Proposition 85, but allowed students representing the Berkeley ACLU to speak against the proposition. Student senators passed SB 27, a bill which would state the ASUC’s opposition to the proposition that would require parental notification before obtaining an abortion. Some students from the Berkeley College Republicans, after waiting four hours to speak in favor of Prop 85, were prevented from speaking by the majority of the senate.
While two students from the Berkeley Students for Life were given time to speak, senators voted to end the debate and ignore the statements from additional students supporting Proposition 85.
Clearly, liberal elitism got in the way of civilized discourse and the tolerance of opposing views. Senators Taylor Allbright, Van Nguyen, Dmitri Garcia, Jeff Manassero and others decided that they knew when all topics of argument had been exhausted. In their exalted wisdom, they silenced free speech. The reason was clear: an additional conservative viewpoint was about to be heard in what former ASUC senator Yvette Felarca referred to as the “most progressive student body in the country.”
Currently, the ASUC is engaged in an ambitious voter registration project. ASUC External Affairs Vice President Jason Chu told the Daily Cal that he hopes to register 3,400 students by Oct. 23. Earlier this week, UC President Robert Dynes clarified a policy that would allow groups to enter residence halls and dining commons to register new voters, provided that such groups were nonpartisan. The ASUC could have taken advantage of this clarified policy to reach its goals, but chose instead to forfeit its nonpartisanship by passing a partisan resolution that opposes Prop 85.
The ASUC should not be allowed to register voters in residence halls and dining commons, since it is now clearly a partisan political organization. If they proceed to expand their voter registration campaign into the dorm units and dining halls, they will be violating university rules.
According to the resolution passed tonight, the ASUC plans to publicize its stance on Proposition 85 in an “informative and educational manner.” If such information will be paid for by student fees, the ASUC will be violating another UC policy. According to university policy 66.00, “student governments may not use University resources to support or oppose a particular candidate or ballot proposition in a non-University political campaign.”
At a school that takes pride in its Free Speech history, it is disappointing and hypocritical that its student leaders abandon the principles of open debate.
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