Some disqualified student government candidates reinstated

The University of Illinois at Chicago's Election Planning Committee (EPC) reversed itself this week, modifying its previous ruling that all nine candidates who ran on the Students for Better Government (SBG) slate in the April elections would be disqualified. All six SBG candidates for Undergraduate Student Assembly have been reinstated, although the original winners of the student government presidency, vice presidency, and student member of the Board of Trustees positions (Bernard Mariano, Sean Murray, and Joel Ebert), remained disqualified.

Immediately after the EPC disqualified the SBG slate, SBG filed an appeal with the Election Appeals Committee (EAC) on the grounds that their due process rights had been violated during the initial EPC complaints hearing. The EAC affirmed the EPC's jurisdiction to hear the complaints, but also "requested that the Election Planning Committee reconvene to review its [sic] conduct in the recent complaint adjudication process in order to determine the subsequent impact on any of the original decisions." (Despite being chair of the EAC, Kelly McCray said it would be "most appropriate" for the Flame to discuss his panel's ruling with Dean Rodriguez and not him.)

The EPC met last Tuesday for an hour and a half to discuss the appeals. Dean William Rodriguez notified the candidates of the rulings via e-mail on Wednesday, May 13. Under the subject, "IMPORTANT: EPC Determination," it read: "This message is to inform you that the EPC has met and reconsidered [your cases] per the recommendation of the EAC. It was decided that new hearings would not be offered but that a modification of some of the original findings was appropriate. The EPC has made the following determination:" followed by either a modification of the case or not. Reinstated candidates were ordered to attend ethics training and submit a one-page reflection paper to Rodriguez, while those still disqualified were simply informed of this fact.

Dean Rodriguez declined to comment on what prompted the EPC to reverse its previous ruling that these candidates should be disqualified, or on why only the Assembly members were reinstated. As with previous election-related meetings, no minutes or notes were taken.