Vol. XVIIINo. 14 The University Community's Feature Paper April 7,1997 I ISSUES CONTROVERSY KEEPS ELECTION ESUUS IN LIMBO By John Giuffo Hausman would like to change the process by which Print Shop, and she's being charged with accepting ads members of the election board are chosen. "Not just the from 3TV, which start at $20, and a full page ad in A coalition of candidates for Polity office has brought suit election board, but I think that there needs to be more of a Blackworld, a $125 expense. Maylor claims she didn't against members of the "Students First" ticket, leveling 14 check of who becomes pollwatchers," Hausman said. know outside contributions were included in the spend- separate charges of wrongdoing. Among the complaints are Among the complaints are charges of illegal electioneering ing cap, and all money spent over $150 came from fund- charges of pollwatcher corruption, slanderous campaigning by pollwatchers, who are supposed to be impartial ing sources outside of Polity. She was fined 0.5% of the and illegal campaign practices. observers. votes for her by the Election Grievance Board in the The coalition, made up of Matthew Mahoney, Paul Monique Maylor, Polity vice-president, and candidate for original filed grievance. Perrone, Jose Pefia, Vincent Medordi, Bradley R. president characterized the charges as frivolous. "The Curtis Morris, editor-in-chief of Blackworld, said the ad Hausman, Michael Mahoney, Joshua Alpert, Jugdeep Singh majority of them are lies," said Maylor, who feels the hear- space was available to anyone desiring to run an ad, but and Matthew Edwardsen, filed an appeal of Election Board ings are politically motivated. that only Maylor approached him about it. Decisions on March 31st. Among the charges aimed at Maylor are assertions of her The hearings are scheduled to continue this Tuesday, and The appeal is seeking to overturn a number of Grievance involvement with circulating a phonemail message which a verdict is expected before the end of the week. Board decisions made after the March 18th and March 19th claims that the opponents of the "Students First" ticket Hausman wants the election held again, and the elections. The grievance board is convened whenever a "are going to take us in a direction that we do not need to "Students First" candidates disqualified from running. "I particular candidate feels they were treated unfairly in go in. A direction that we have not seen on this campus in would like to see the entire election thrown out, all the some facet of the annual Spring elections. 20 or 30 years." The male voice on the phonemail mes- way down the line, including the referenda. Everything. A judiciary board Supreme Court has been convened to sage identifies himself as Andre English, chair of the Because if you have pollwatchers that did something, review the complaints. Arguments started last Wednesday, Black Caucus. you must throw out everything, because that's how it April 2nd, ran over until Friday evening, and will be com- Jose Pefia, candidate for vice president, points to the mes- works in the real world." pleted this Tuesday. Nine student justices, headed up by sage as the one thing he is most upset with. "I don't know Pefia isn't particularly interested in having anyone dis- Polity Judiciary Chair Stacy Harris, are hearing the com- how they can justify the phonemail message," said Pefia. qualified, but says he desires more fairness in the process. plaint list against the "Students First" ticket, comprised of "It destroys our reputation with the students, right away it "My main concern is that the results of the election reflect Monique Maylor, Diane Lopez, Sayed Ali, Jawond Brown, does something that we can not repair. How can you even the true opinion of the student population." Christopher Grant, Donna McGowan, Vivian Salazar and combat a charge of racism?" Pefia is also disappointed that the hearings have to hap- Alejandro Cantagallo. Hausman agrees. "Of all the stuff in the election, that's pen. "I personally know some of the people on that ticket," If found guilty of the charges, the members of the the one thing I took personally." said Pefia, "and they are very talented and very good peo- "Students First" ticket face punishments ranging from vote Maylor insists that the plaintiffs are misreading the con- ple. They did not need to resort to this. It looks bad for penalties to disqualification from the election, to the entire tent of the message. "I think the charge of racism is a low Stony Brook students." election being nullified. The complaints also call for a new blow. How do they know there was racist intent?" asked Maylor feels the hearings will vindicate her, adding that election, asserting that any results from the March elec- Maylor. "It was referring to the lack of involvement -- they she is upset about the damage that the charges can do to her tions are suspect and therefore invalid. The Polity didn't know about Pataki's budget, they had never gone to reputation. "I would encourage any student to confront me Judiciary has ordered the election results held up until the Lobby Day, they had nothing but bad things to say about with anything that they've heard, because I'm not the mon- matter is settled. Polity. I didn't see any racist intent at all." Maylor asserts ster they are making me out to be." The charges also seek to appeal what the plaintiffs feel is that she wasn't involved with making the phonemail mes- bias on the part of members of the election board. sage, and that she was angered by the fact that it was for- "I really think the process was violated by the pollwatch- warded around without her approval. Following this article on page 6 is a copy of the appeal ers," says Bradley Hausman, candidate for Vice President. Maylor is also charged with spending more money on of grievance board decisions handed to the judiciary. "If you have pollwatchers that violate the rules, you have to her campaign than the $150 election board 'by-laws Brackets indicate a change has been made in the official, do the election over again." Iallow. Records show- that she spent $208 at the Polity admissable version. RA STUDENT NEWS By Scott West Each was offered between $2300 and $2500 for ithe additional work. The Graduate School is intending to make a The Graduate School withheld the pay for the change in the way some TAs and GAs are paid. In second class, without prior notification. By the the future, grads may be prohibited from earning time the reduced paychecks reached the TAs, they more than $9572 in the academic year from state had already taught two weeks of classes, reducing funding sources. the workload. The Humanities TAs were perform- Nothing the administration is proposing will pre- ing work for which they would not be paid. vent departments from paying less than $9572 for Working with the departments, the Graduate a full year's work. Only the Union will do that. School, and campus Human Resources, the GSEU Currently, the actual salaries paid TAs and GAs and the individuals involved succeeded in getting And The Beat Goes On... vary greatly, from $15,000 to less than $5000. pay restored during this semester. $9572 is an arbitrary amount set by the Stony In the Sciences, TAs are generally paid above Brook Grad School as the optimum pay for an $10,000 in the academic year by a single depart- RIP Allen Ginsberg academic year's work. Many Teaching and ment. Graduate Assistants in the Humanities and Social In Biochemistry, upper level TAs are paid around Sciences earn more through work in more than $12,000 in the academic year. This semester the 1926-1997 one department. For example, some TAs in the Graduate School is attempting to reverse past Music department also work in the Music library. practice by insisting these TAs receive only $9572 Today America mourns the loss not only of a Departments with greater resources will pay TAs from state sources. great poet, but a great man. and GAs more outright. Subsequently Graduate School Dean Lawrence Allen Ginsberg is best known for his poetry, In January of this semester, paychecks were par- Martin allowed that Biochemistry might pay TAs most specifically for his masterpiece, "Howl!" tially withheld from at least 9 TAs, who had been from Research sources to supplement the now His writing helped create the "Beat Generation" offered a rate of pay exceeding $9572. The reduced state support. However it is unclear and expanded the limits of free speech in our Graduate School acted to repress TA and GA whether this is policy or talk, and what effect this society. salaries which exceeded $9572. Until now, no might have on their legal status as members of the But beyond his words, Ginsberg was also a role attempt has been made to enforce the $9572 stan- GSEU bargaining unit. model and a revolutionary. He led marches, dard, either to raise or lower pay. At present the issue of pay for the Biochemistry raised consciousness and influenced many. Of the numerous TAs working in more than one TAs remains unresolved, with the Graduate School Throughout his life, he stood for expanding department this semester, the Graduate School insisting that it acted properly in withholding pay boundaries and expanding singled out four individuals for pay cuts: three without prior notification. yourself. Allen Ginsberg were hired to work in English and Women's GSEU stewards are collecting information now died on April 5th of complica- Studies and one person was working in History on how its members are paid.