Berquam: Vote in ASM constitutional referendum

Dean of Students Lori Berquam is encouraging students to get involved in a key shared governance issue by voting in next week’s referendum on a new Associated Students of Madison (ASM) constitution.

“Students demonstrated their commitment to our national community when voting in the recent presidential election — let’s do the same for our campus government,” she says. “This is one of the most important elections for students in many years.”

The election will be held on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 23-24. The ballot will be conducted online. All UW–Madison students are eligible to vote. The measure must receive a simple majority to be enacted.

ASM will discuss its proposed constitution at an open forum at 5 p.m. today (Feb. 18) at Memorial Union (TITU). The discussion also will touch on issues such as using and distributing student segregated fees.

To read the proposal, visit this site.

The proposed constitution has engendered spirited debate both for and against. Berquam says she officially takes no position, other than to urge students to participate and decide the future of student government.

Last May, the ASM Student Council established a Constitutional Committee to address organizational problems in areas of communication, participation, effectiveness and efficiency.

During the fall semester, the committee held 12 public feedback sessions and collected more than 400 comments from students that informed the development of three separate drafts, the last of which the Student Council approved twice in December, thereby sending the proposed constitutional amendment to a student vote.

ASM has served as the official student government since 1994, advocating for students at the municipal, state and federal level. Included among the group’s efforts are the establishment of a 24-hour library, a Madison Metro bus pass for each student and the creation of a shadow day, during which high school students can spend a day with UW–Madison students.