As members of Team Green, we are shocked in the recent actions taken by the Administration of Southwestern College to invalidate the ASO General Elections of the Spring 2019 semester.
We are deeply saddened that the enduring institution of the student body’s government has been interfered with by employees of the college and heavily influenced by external interests with obfuscated purposes.
The invalidation goes against the very principles and values of our student democracy which are to protect full freedom of expression and to articulate and represent the students’ interests in the governance of the college.
The issue that presented itself on Thursday, May 2, 2019, in where members of the faculty & classified staff interfered in the Election Board’s meeting by grossly accusing, slandering, and defaming student candidates en masse, directly belittles students and creates an unsafe learning environment.
We are appalled how staff and faculty have acted in this situation, however, we must respect the sanctity of the elections and have those issues dealt with in the appropriate manner conducive of an environment of growth.
The issues presented are not relevant to the ASO General Elections and should have been brought to the appropriate authorities for conflict resolution or disciplinary action.
The determination of election results are tabulated online by students through the use of their WebAdvisor, there is no computational error in the results of the elections.
Decisions rendered by the Election Board would not normally cause the District to interfere to a degree that it would nullify the vote of the students and consider it void.
We all as students must fight for the right to govern the services of our own students and have the power of recognition to validate our ASO General Elections.
We call on Team Elite to join us in this fight.
We the members of Team Green, members of various minority communities that have been affected by bigotry and racism understand the concerns of our fellow students, because of it we must stand together to deal with these issues and dispel any racist language, acts, and/or policies.
As fellow students of a diverse community, we thrive in the eclectic mix of cultures, traditions, and ethnicities.
In order to address common issues and identify problems that affect us all, we must be open to dialogue and action.
