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After two weeks of political contention, Colby Malcolm has been named Interfraternity Council president. The University of Maine General Student Senate voted to certify the IFC presidential election results Nov. 30. The election results list Malcolm as IFC president with 218 votes; contending candidate Ian McKinnon received 211 votes.
A complaint filed against the University of Maine Fair Election Practices Commission’s handling of the IFC election prompted a special senate meeting Monday, Nov. 23. The election results were in question because the FEPC did not have representation at the ballot boxes. Seven senators walked out of the Nov. 23 meeting, halting further discussion. With only 17 senators remaining — one short of the 18 required for quorum — the meeting was rescheduled for Nov. 30.
“Yes, I’m a little disappointed with what happened. But I’m a little bit more disappointed in this body, actually. You speak of transparency and getting closer to the people you serve, yet you ignore them when they approach you,” said IFC presidential candidate McKinnon of senate’s decision to uphold the disputed election results at the second special meeting Monday.
Senators left the special meeting because of what they felt was inadequate representation from senate. They also left because the breakdown of the election results was shown to everyone at the meeting, which would have given the candidates first-hand knowledge of which fraternities favored either of them and likely would have eschewed a revote. The breakdown of the results were shown because of a discrepancy between the number of ballots cast and the number of voters, which senate felt could be cleared up if they saw the results broke down by fraternity and voter. After a resolution was introduced to do a revote, the seven senators left because they felt — after seeing the election breakdown — that such a resolution would result in an election that could not be conducted fairly.
Vice President Ross Wolland reminded senators on Nov. 30 where they had left off at the previous special meeting, and senators resumed discussion with the motion that had been on the floor before the end of the Nov. 23 meeting.
“The motion is to declare the IFC election invalid and have [IFC] rehold the elections,” Wolland said.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Abtin Mehdizadegan, who filed the complaint against the FEPC, offered senators the flip side of the issue, regarding FEPC’s stance that the election’s results were invalid.
“The other side is that we should leave [election results] alone,” Mehdizadegan said.
Mehdizadegan made the complaint primarily in response to the absence of FEPC representation at IFC ballot boxes — mandated by FEPC guidelines.
Sen. Nick DeHaas, a witness of the complaint, said after the Dec. 1 GSS meeting, “I think it’s as resolved as it’s going to be,” of senate’s decision to stand by the election results. Because the complaint was filed against FEPC, the normal arbiter of election issues, it was deferred to senate.
DeHaas contemplated introducing a resolution to remove the seven senators because of their decision on Nov. 23, but said he “won’t be taking action” and objects to the reasoning behind some senators’ decisions for leaving less than the explanations of other senators. He added that removal would be difficult because of the two-thirds vote required for such a resolution to be approved, and acknowledged that he “could do it to make a statement,” but has no plan to go forward with it.
Sen. Mary Emmi, one of the senators to walk out of the first special meeting, said although they held a collective reason for leaving the meeting, individual reasons played a part in their decision as well.
“The seven of us all have different reasons [for walking out],” she said after the Dec. 1 senate meeting.
Emmi declined to elaborate on the subject.
Sens. Emmi, Zachary Jackman, Nate Wildes, Warren Varney, Pardis Delijani, Benjamin Goodman and Elias Elder were the seven who left the original special meeting.
One of the 17 who remained, Sen. Rebecca Dyer, “felt like [GSS] needed to give IFC a decision in a timely manner.”
Dyer wished senators had voiced their concerns before walking out of the meeting.
Current IFC president Tavian MacKinnon served as IFC representative at the Nov. 30 meeting.
“We will abide by what [GSS] decides, but we’ve never had a problem with this in the past,” MacKinnon said of previous elections.
The IFC induction ceremony is Dec. 9.
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