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How two presidential hopefuls triggered a special election held just over a week before the semester ends. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also special: infighting, accusations, and retaliations.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Confused? So were we.

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Special Election Issue

This semester’s special election proved more challenging to understand than we thought. BY KERRI COVINGTON

WANT TO JOIN THE UP? Email: universitypress@gmail.com Staff meetings every Friday at 2 p.m. Student Union, Rm 214 WANT TO PLACE AN AD? For national/regional ads contact: Mike Anderson MediaMate, LLC. 1-888-897-7711 ext. 128 manderson@mymediamate.com For local ads contact: Von January BV Media Solutions, LLC. 954-495-1150 von@bvmediasolutionsllc.com PUBLISHER FAU Student Government The opinions expressed by the UP are not necessarily those of the student body, Student Government or FAU. ADDRESS 777 Glades Road Student Union, Room 214 Boca Raton, FL 33431 561.297.2960

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

N THE LAST four months, my staff and I covered two elections. While covering each of them required some practice, the presidential special election was especially difficult to report. This was mainly because it revolved around dense, confusing statutes that clearly need updating. Even Student Government members have admitted they disagree on how these statutes should be interpreted. However, they all seem to agree they need revamping. That’s why we put this issue together. If the reporters covering SG, as well as its members, have a hard time understanding what’s going on, we can’t be the only ones. Because of that, this special election issue was written with the student body in mind. We focused on explaining things in plain English, avoiding governmental jargon and unnecessary processes that students could find difficult to get through. Dear Reader, My name’s Benjamin Paley and over the past year, I’ve helped cover Student Government. I also helped report some of the stories found in this issue. Recently, I’ve been busy attending Student Court and Elections Board meetings because a special election has been called.

If reading this is your first time hearing about the special election, check out our “In Case You Missed It,” starting on page 4 . Those stories were taken from our web coverage in the last month (www. upressonline.com). But if you’re more familiar with our reporting, flip to “Are the rumors true?” on page 18 for a look at the rumors swirling around SG in response to the special election. If there’s one thing you should take away from this issue, it’s that these students impact your dayto-day life at FAU. If nothing else, keep in mind they control over $8.6 million of your money in the form of Activity and Service Fees. Since this issue comes out the day voting ends, you’ll be able to look back to see how we got here. From where the candidates stand to questioning why only 8.2 percent of the student body voted for president, let this serve as a guide to what the hell happened.

The process can be confusing and daunting for those who are unfamiliar with SG. The University Press decided to make this special issue because we are all affected by the students governing our school. Thank you and enjoy our special election issue. - Benjamin Paley

Special Issue Editor

CONTENTS | APRIL 25, 2018

Kerri Covington

Special Issue Designer Ivan Benavides

UP Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Kerri Covington MANAGING EDITOR Katrina Scales CREATIVE DIRECTOR Celeste Andrews WEB EDITOR Richard Finkel NEWS EDITOR Alexander Rodriguez FEATURES EDITOR Hope Dean

Letter From The Editor BY KERRI COVINGTON

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

MARCH 28

Special Election Suspended Indefinitely The Student Court ruled the election violates SG statutes. BY NATE NKUMBU

FTER AN HOUR of discussion, the Student Court voted 3-0 March 28 against a special election announced by Vice President for Student Affairs Corey King. Chief Justice Isaiah Moriarity said the decision indefinitely suspends the SG president and vice president election, which the court believes is unconstitutional. If evidence can be brought proving the election is legal under SG statutes, the court may reconsider. King announced a special election would be held following the disqualification of Presidentelect Jacqueline LaBayne and Vice President Kyle MacDonald. They were ruled ineligible to serve after campaigning 10 days too early, violating a major SG statute. According to Moriarity, a special election can only take place if the Student Court “invalidates” the original election for violating SG statutes. The chief justice said this wasn’t the case as the Feb. 27-28 election was constitutional. He added that a special election has to be called by election chairperson Doug Speed, not VP for Student Affairs King. “In the event of the invalidation of an election, the election chair must call a special election within three weeks or by the end of the semester, whichever comes first,” he said. “However … the Student Court did not invalidate the election.”

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

At the beginning of the meeting, current student If Speed approves of the court’s decision, the body President Emily Lawless asked the court to election’s runner up — SG Speaker of the House allow the special election. Marianne Alex and her running mate Edward “If the Student Court has the ability to modify Perez — will be named president and vice an election so drastically, then why even have president respectively. Then, the decision will go an election in the first place?” Lawless asked. “If to VP for Student Affairs King, who can choose to I can’t trust Student Government, then how can accept or reject the ruling. students trust Student Government.” Lawless then added, “I may seem like “If the Student Court has the a joke to some of you, but the position of ability to modify an election so student body president is an important one … Please let the students pick who they drastically, then why even have want for president. I beg for a new election.” an election in the first place?” The court’s ruling now heads to election Emily Lawless chairperson Speed, who will “verify” the Current student body president results.

APRIL 11

Special Election Back On

Students will vote following the last day of classes. BY KERRI COVINGTON

OR THE SECOND time this semester, students will choose the next Student Government president and vice president. Starting April 24, the student body will vote as part of a special election, one day after classes end. This is despite the fact that the Student Court ruled the special election is “unconstitutional” under SG statutes and suspended it indefinitely. Elections supervisor Douglas Speed invalidated the original election early last week after Vice President for Student Affairs Corey King placed the decision in his hands. This follows the removal of President-elect Jacqueline LaBayne and Vice

President Kyle MacDonald for violating campaign rules. “I referred this student government matter back to the SG Election Board Chair, so that the Elections Chair could move forward in accordance with the Student Government Statutes,” King said via email. “Subsequently, I received an email from the Elections Chair stating that in order “to preserve the integrity and ensure the stability’ of Student Government, the Elections Chair was calling for a special election to take place beginning April 5. This matter is in the hands of Student Government.” Student Court Chief Justice Isaiah Moriarity stands by the Court’s decision to suspend the election. He said that the original February election should never have been invalidated as “due process was followed.” Moriarity added that runner-up candidates Marianne Alex and Edward Perez should’ve been made Student Government’s head honchos instead of leaving it up to an “illegal” special election. Candidates will spend the next few weeks campaigning until voting takes place April 2425. Both LaBayne and Alex have announced their decision to run for a second time.

LaBayne doesn’t believe she and MacDonald should’ve been disqualified. “We didn’t think it would be as big of a controversy as it was. Personally, I don’t think they had any grounds to disqualify us. I mean, getting disqualified over a Facebook post was a shocker,” she said. “I got really emotional in the courtroom because I was just so upset and I get that, in their eyes, they’re doing their job, but it’s supposed to be a learning lab. We don’t get everything right. I’m not saying it was right or wrong but we’re supposed to learn from our past experiences.”

Cover Story

A GOVERNMENT DIVIDED

CUTTING IT CLOSE

The special election takes place during finals week April 24-25, one day after classes end. Elections supervisor Douglas Speed said that he wasn’t exactly happy with the special election’s timing. “I wasn’t super stoked for it because I have six classes and with the special election now, the elections are going to be going on during all my finals,” he said. “The day that I now have to do the elections hearing — I have two finals that day.” Following the special election, an Elections Board hearing will take place April 27 to hear out any complaints against the candidates. If there are any appeals, the Student Court will meet a week later. This means that the court’s hearing would be held May 4, the last day of the semester. If the hearing does take place, the official election results will be posted after. If not, the results will be posted following the Elections Board hearing.

How two presidential hopefuls triggered a special election held just over a week before the semester ends. What’s also special: infighting, accusations, and retaliations. By Kerri Covington

T STARTED with two Facebook posts and ended in an election — the second in less than two months. Now, with a special election in full swing, Student Government is scrambling to elect a new president just over a week before the semester ends, all while suffering from tension among SG members. And for the second time in one semester, Marianne Alex and Jacqueline LaBayne find themselves competing for the presidential seat following the February election.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Those Facebook posts belonged to LaBayne and her Vice President Kyle MacDonald. The two campaigned via the social media platform 10 days before the campaign period, a “major” violation of SG statutes. Several weeks later, the two were elected president and VP, winning by 800 votes, with Alex coming in second. Only 2,317 out of 28,011 (8.2 percent) students voted for president. Alex then brought those posts to the Student Court, who later disqualified LaBayne and MacDonald from serving. Several weeks later, the Elections Board called for a special election, despite the fact that the court ruled it was unconstitutional (see page 5).

Alex claimed that she was just doing her job. “They thought it was all petty and it’s because we lost,” she said. “But in the statutes it says you have to bring up misconduct and anything you see wrong you’re held liable to, so I was just trying to do my job.” She added that she’s worried violating SG statutes will become a trend if LaBayne and MacDonald are elected. “...there are rules and there are consequences to those rules, and if they’re going to [violate those rules] just in the campaign process, what are they going to do in office?” Alex’s Vice President Edward Perez said, “It’s almost saying, ‘OK, you can break the rules, but you can run again.’” Meanwhile, LaBayne defended her ticket’s decision to campaign via Facebook. “I think it’s ridiculous honestly. We got approval from the Elections Board. I would never maliciously go and campaign early. That wasn’t my intent at all,” she said. “I thought I was doing everything right. You know, crossing my T’s, dotting my I’s, but obviously someone screenshotted it and got us disqualified the first time.” While the Elections Board initially gave the two permission to campaign via Facebook, it later withdrew its approval, saying it made a mistake.

STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS

Some SG members feel as if they’ve been ostracized because of their role in the special election. Student Court Chief Justice Isaiah Moriarity ruled that the special election is unconstitutional. Now, he says it’s uncomfortable to be around his friends in SG. “I know that I’ve endured some heavy cost from this. Most of my friends have just fled … I’m constantly on the defensive of where I go to eat, who I’m with, who I can talk to,” he said. “I have Continued Next Page

UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

classes with most of these people that are on both sides.” That uneasiness was only made worse after MacDonald alleged Moriarity has a conflict of interest after a photo appeared of the chief justice meeting with Alex outside of school. Moriarity claimed the two met to discuss one of her classes (see page 18). “There has been an ethics complaint made against me by Kyle MacDonald … I do not believe there’s any merit to it,” Moriarity said. “I think that it’s an act, it’s similar to when a criminal gets caught by a cop or whatever and they accuse the cop or they accuse the judge of being biased.” MacDonald responded, saying, “it is disappointing to see what some Student Government Officials have come to.” “It’s hard to say there is no merit to my complaints when I have provided actual evidence from his text messages. He stated “Kyle would be wise not to make any more enemies,” MacDonald said via email. “That does not sound like an unbiased judge in search of justice. It sounds like someone with a personal bias threatening another individual.” Meanwhile, House representative and Alex/Perez supporter Noah Goldberg told the UP that some members of SG believe he egged Kyle MacDonald’s house (see page 18). “I did not egg [his] house and it is insulting for anyone to think I would do so. I would never stoop to that level for any reason.” The UP reached out to MacDonald for comment regarding the egging but has not received a response as of publication time.

A RIPPLE EFFECT

Marianne Alex

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

The special election isn’t just causing tension among SG members. It’s also delaying SG’s normal spring operations, at least according to three of SG’s key players: the current student body president, the speaker of the House, and the Student Court chief justice. President Emily Lawless said that while she supports the special election, it’s postponing preparations for next semester. “We would have been transitioning and the new President and VP would be hiring and preparing to switch over completely. It is definitely holding Student Government back as a whole!!!” Lawless told the UP via email. Presidential hopeful Alex, who currently serves as speaker of the House, said the special election is “a nightmare for us, for administration, and for Student Government in general.” She added that the election is preventing the hiring of a new administration. “We’re pretty much going to be in a government shutdown if we don’t have a president pretty soon, and it’s pushing whoever’s getting elected weeks behind hiring and getting the ball rolling.” Student Court Chief Justice Moriarity said the newly appointed governors of the Boca, Davie, and Jupiter campuses are currently appointing their staffs, something the new president and vice president “should be”

doing. He added that while the new governors are moving forward, the office of the future president is at a standstill. “I think it is important to make that distinction so students don’t feel as though student government has completely failed them,” he said via email. Moriarity is worried SG’s reputation has suffered as a result. “This special election has put SG in a perilous circumstance … On the other hand, the reputation and respect we have with other schools is tarnished because we do not have a face of Student Government in a timely manner.”

STATUTE OVERHAUL

While the Student Court maintains the special election is unconstitutional, SG members seem to agree that regardless of what happens, the statutes need to be updated. Alex said the special election falls within a gray area. “I absolutely think that next year, whoever wins needs to revamp our statutes entirely. I think they’re very vague, I think they’re open to whatever interpretation you kind of want to go to, especially the Elections Board, because … with the new technology we have, it’s such a gray area that whoever interprets it can be like, ‘Oh, well that’s not illegal,’ [or] ‘Oh, that is illegal.’” SG adviser Donald Van Pelt said the statutes need to be revamped as well. “I think all students involved would agree that our current Student Government statutes need to be updated and as a result, will work to improving the statutes for the future.”

A MATTER OF OPINION

Alex believes she should be elected as she’s “always wanted to help people.” She added that she’s good at “taking criticism from students and actually doing what they want.” “I think our integrity and our character is different from theirs … I think we are for the students, and obviously neither of us are political science [majors],” she said. “I don’t think I’m going to have much of a political career after college, so I think that speaks volumes to why we’re actually doing this.” Despite this, LaBayne said that she’s confident she and MacDonald will be elected for a second time. “Ultimately, it should be the students who should pick the president and vice president and the students didn’t pick [runner-up Marianne Alex],” she said. “The first time the students spoke and got their votes out and I think the second time will be the same.” Check back with the University Press online (www.upressonline.com) for updates as this story continues to develop.

Jacqueline LaBayne

Photos by Alexander Rodriguez UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

Disappointing, ButDoable After losing in the February election, Marianne Alex and her Vice President Edward Perez are prepared to fight for the presidential seat a second time. By Hope Dean

HILE MARIANNE ALEX may not approve of the special election, she’s willing to go through it again, campaign and all. Alex, current speaker of the House of Representatives, ran for student body president with her Vice President Edward Perez during the Feb. 27-28 election. They lost by 833 votes, and presidential hopeful Jacqueline LaBayne and her VP Kyle MacDonald were set to take the seats, before an inconsistency arose — the ticket campaigned via a Facebook post (see page 4) 10 days before the assigned campaign period, a “major violation” of SG statutes. Alex later reported this violation to the Student Court, which disqualified LaBayne and MacDonald from serving. Several weeks later, a special election was called, to be held April 24-25 (see page 6). “They thought it was all petty and it’s because we lost,” she said. “But in the statutes it says you have to bring up misconduct and anything you see wrong you’re held liable to, so I was just trying to do my job.”

A Tilted Playing Field? Alex and Perez weren’t on the ballot due to a mixup earlier in the process when Alex was running as student John Carter’s vice president. Because Carter didn’t have enough credits at FAU to run, the two were disqualified.

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

Alex and Perez then decided to run, but by then it was too late to submit their names for the presidential ballot. Instead, they became writein candidates, where students have to write their names on the ballot instead of simply checking a box with their names. This, they argue, gave LaBayne and MacDonald an unfair advantage. In light of these developments, the UP met with Alex and Perez to ask them a few questions about their outlook on the situation.

and … I haven’t really seen Student Government do much for the students, so I wanted to come in as the outer person, the outside man, to bring in change. I don’t really want to see another twoterm group or two-term person that I still haven’t really seen have any difference whatsoever. We’ve visited the other campuses, and they’ve told us that they don’t have any contact with the executive branch here at all … They feel like they’re excluded from a lot of things, and I want to bring them into everything.

UP: Do you think you and Perez should win the special election over LaBayne? ALEX: I think our integrity and our character is different from theirs … I think we are for the students, and obviously neither of us are political science [majors]. I don’t think I’m going to have much of a political career after college, so I think that speaks volumes to why we’re actually doing this.

“I think our integrity and our character is different from theirs … I think we are for the students.”

UP: How do you feel about administrators like Corey King and Donald Van Pelt supporting this special MARIANNE ALEX election? ALEX: It upsets me deeply. We have the law on our side, really, and it’s just completely being UP: Why did you first decide to run? thrown out the door. ALEX: Ever since I started Student Government PEREZ: I know Donald [Van Pelt] means well, freshman year, I always wanted to help people. It’s and I know he’s back and forth with it kind of, but just kind of my character. I really do like helping King… Had Donald made the decision or something people and bettering people’s experiences and as our adviser, then it would’ve been a little stuff like that, so that’s pretty much been my different, but having it come outside of Student whole experience in Student Government … taking Government [from] someone who … almost made criticism from students and actually doing what a rash decision, I don’t know. It’s kind of going they want. against the whole court, going against everything PEREZ: I wanted to be that outsider that had no that Student Government is based upon. background in politics or anything … This is my ALEX: And [Dr. King] says he’s all for the second administration while I’ve been on campus students…

UP: Is there something about Student Government that allows something like a special election to happen? ALEX: I absolutely think that next year, whoever wins needs to revamp our statutes entirely. I think they’re very vague, I think they’re open to whatever interpretation you kind of want to go to, especially the Election Board, because … with the new technology we have, it’s such a grey area that whoever interprets it can be like, “Oh, well that’s not illegal,” [or] “Oh, that is illegal.” … It is a nightmare for us, for administration, and for Student Government in general. We’re pretty much going to be in a government shutdown if we don’t have a president pretty soon, and it’s pushing whoever’s getting elected weeks behind hiring and getting the ball rolling. PEREZ: I just don’t get the whole “special election” part of it … Delaying it completely all the way until finals really doesn’t make sense because then now the Elections Board will make the decision on who wins that Friday … and that’s during finals. UP: One of the arguments going around Student Government is that the students should have the right to choose who represents them, and despite LaBayne and MacDonald’s major violation, they still won. How would you respond to this argument? ALEX: I think we were never on the same playing field, so them bringing up the fact that they won by 800 votes means nothing to me, because we weren’t on the ballot, we were not given the same chance … I think the fact that we even got so many votes that we did is miraculous. PEREZ: Especially in such a short period of time. ALEX: Yeah, we campaigned for maybe a week and a half? Ten days? … I completely agree that students should be able to choose who they are represented by, but there are rules and there are consequences to those rules, and if they’re going to [violate those rules] just in the campaign process, what are they going to do in office? PEREZ: I have no issue with the special election, just the main issue of the timing … It’s almost saying, “OK, you can break the rules, but you can run again.” It’s just weird.

UP: What would you like the student body to know? PEREZ: We’re still here fighting. ALEX: Yeah, we are. We’re very grateful that we get the chance to at least be on the ballot this time, and hopefully [the students] come out and vote even though it is during finals, because we’ll be out there. PEREZ: This is going to be the most fair election this time.

Photo by Alexander Rodriguez

Presidential hopeful Marianne Alex and her VP Edward Perez.

UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

Each Student Government election, candidates are only allowed to campaign for a certain time period. Presidential hopeful Jacqueline LaBayne and her Vice President Kyle MacDonald post a link to their campaign GoFundMe page on Facebook 10 days before that period.

Late Jan.

Feb. 27-28

The spring general election is held online via Owl Central. Only 2,317 out of 28,011 FAU students (8.2 percent) vote for the presidential ticket.

Unofficial results are published to the Student Government website: LaBayne and MacDonald win by over 800 votes. Runner-up Marianne Alex goes to the Student Court and makes a formal complaint against LaBayne and MacDonald, citing the Facebook post.

March 1

Vice President for Student Affairs Corey King orders a special election in an email to Student Government advisers. Student Court Chief Justice Isaiah Moriarty puts the special election on hold, saying a review by the court is necessary.

March 14

The Student Court disqualifies LaBayne and MacDonald from serving because they committed a “major” violation of SG statutes. While the Elections Board gave permission for the candidates to post their GoFundMe page, they later withdrew their approval, saying they made a mistake.

March 23

March 28

The Student Court votes to halt the special election indefinitely, saying King’s decision to call it is unconstitutional, as only the supervisor of elections can call an election.

King t matter electio who c electio the en The El an info possib

WHAT THE HELL HA A look at the events leading up to the special election, as well as what happens after students vote. By Benjamin Paley 12

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

The Elections Board holds a mandatory candidacy meeting at 7:30 a.m. Both Jacqueline LaBayne and Marianne Alex will once again run for the presidential seat. The official campaign period starts.

April 4

April 10

turns over the election r to the supervisor of ons, Douglas Speed, calls for a special on to be held before nd of the semester. lections Board holds ormation session for ble candidates.

The Elections Board holds a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meet the Candidatesâ&#x20AC;? event in the Boca Student Union. LaBayne and her VP MacDonald attend but Alex and her VP Edward Perez do not.

April 18

April 24-25

A day after classes end, students vote online via Owl Central.

If applicable, the Elections Board will review any complaints or contestations. Once all complaints, contestations, and appeals are finalized, the official election results will be posted.

April 25

Candidates are required to turn in their campaign expense forms that detail how much they spent on campaign materials during finals week.

April 26

April 27

Candidates will submit any complaints and contestations against other candidates, if any. Candidates must take down all campaign signs, posters, and flyers.

APPENED? UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

Second Time’s The Charm? Despite winning the February election, the president and vice president-elect must now try to pull off a second win. By Cameren Boatner

ACQUELINE LABAYNE and Kyle MacDonald won the election for student body president and vice president by a landslide, but now they’ll have to do it again. After violating SG statutes by campaigning too early, the ticket was disqualified, despite winning more than half of the 2,317 votes cast in the February election. And because the election was later invalidated, Student Government will hold a special election April 24-25 to decide the next president and vice president. MacDonald is the current student body vice president under Emily Lawless, while LaBayne is the Council of Student Organizations director. In the middle of seeking re-election, LaBayne and MacDonald share their thoughts on the state of SG. UP: What do you think about the special election? LABAYNE: It’s kind of crazy how all this turned out. I didn’t anticipate this at all. I thought after the first election when we won, everything was going to be smooth sailing, but obviously it wasn’t. I’m just happy we were given this second chance to let the students vote so there’s no mistakes. I think it’s the students’ vote that counts and that’s the most important thing. MACDONALD: I think the special election is the best option for the students and everyone involved. It’s not what I wanted and I don’t think it’s what the other parties involved wanted, but I think it’s the best option for everyone. It’s the best middle ground. I’m sure that the people running against me, Marianne Alex and her running mate ...

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

do not want a new election. I’m sure of that. LABAYNE: Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. Of course I wanted it because I believe the students chose who they want to represent them the first time and we’re given that chance again. Hopefully.

immediately took it down, so I figured we were fine because we got approval from the board who oversees elections and gives out sanctions. LABAYNE: I think it’s ridiculous honestly. We got approval from the Elections Board. I would never maliciously go and campaign early. That wasn’t my intent at all. I thought I was doing everything right. You know, crossing my T’s, dotting my I’s, but obviously someone screenshotted it and got us disqualified the first time. I don’t think [the Facebook post] was up for more than 24 hours. We took it down immediately and refunded the money. We didn’t think it would be as big of a controversy as it was. Personally, I don’t think they had any grounds to disqualify us. I mean, getting disqualified over a Facebook post was a shocker. I got really emotional in the courtroom because I was just so upset and I get that in their eyes they’re doing their job, but it’s supposed to be a learning lab. We don’t get everything right. I’m not saying it was right or wrong but we’re supposed to learn from our past experiences.

“I think it’s ridiculous honestly. We got approval from the Elections Board. I would never maliciously go and campaign early. That wasn’t my intent at all. I thought I was doing everything right.”

UP: How do you respond to your ticket’s violation of SG statutes? (see A “Major” Mistake UP: What are your sidebar on page 15) opinions on the SG statutes? MACDONALD: What’s really interesting about LABAYNE: They always this is that we posted say Student Government a GoFundMe. How it is a learning experience. JACQUELINE LABAYNE It’s a learning lab. Those normally works is we do a Declaration of Candidacy. statutes are really long and So, at some point before somebody who has never the election starts, we have a day where we have run for a position before, its hard to understand to put in our candidacy, meaning it’s public record. those. A lot of them need to be reworded. I see This year, the Student Court and Election Board why a lot of students are intimidated by Student had decided that they would allow people to Government. It’s because of the language and I fundraise and simply state they are running. So, I feel like if we worked on creating that Student had asked Doug Speed, the Elections Board chair, Government-to-student relationship and getting and said we were going to create a GoFundMe the students to understand what SG does, I think it in order to fundraise, and so we got approval to would really benefit the school. fundraise. The post was up for about a day and MACDONALD: I think they’re very convoluted then we were informed by the board that they had and they need to be fixed. I think it’s clear that messed up and we couldn’t have a GoFundMe. We there needs to be a check on the judicial branch.

The way Student Government statutes are set up right now, there is no check on the Student Court. So, when the Student Court rules on an issue, no one has to sign it. So, when something is brought to them, they make their decision on anything and there’s no one there to say otherwise. In theory, if they make a decision that they weren’t supposed to make, there is no check. That was the issue with the special election. No one was able to say, “No, you couldn’t have done that,” and that’s why they called for a new election. UP: What is the opposition to the special election? MACDONALD: There’s backlash from the people that supported me. They’re saying, “You won by over 800 votes.” We had permission to make the Facebook post and the conflict of interest (see page 18) just blew over, so it’s crazy that we were disqualified, or that’s what my supporters are saying. I’m sure [runner-up] Marianne’s supporters would be upset because they would rather her just be declared the winner after our disqualification.

UP: What is your response to the fact that some are saying the special election is “illegal?” LABAYNE: I would say it’s not illegal just because of the mistakes the [Elections Board] made in the first election (see A “Major” Mistake sidebar). Ultimately, it should be the students who should pick the president and vice president and the students didn’t pick [runner-up Marianne Alex]. The first time the students spoke and got their votes out and I think the second time will be the same. I hope from now on the Student Court does what they think is best in their hearts and what they think will be best for the students. I hope they put the students first.

A “MAJOR” MISTAKE A rundown of the violation committed by Jacqueline LaBayne and Kyle MacDonald that led to their disqualification. After a landslide victory, two Facebook posts cost former President-elect Jacqueline LaBayne and Kyle MacDonald the February election. The posts, which included a link to their GoFundMe, went up 10 days before the

Council of Student Organizations Director Jacqueline LaBayne sits at her desk in the COSO office. She ran for Student Government president in February but was disqualified after campaigning early.

campaign period, the only time when candidates are allowed to campaign ahead of Election Day. Campaigning outside of that period is known as a “major violation” of Student Government law, according to statute 319.300(j). This is despite the fact that LaBayne and MacDonald received permission from the Elections Board to post the GoFundMe link. The board later withdrew its approval, stating the post counted as a campaign effort under SG statutes and that initially approving it was a mistake.

February presidential runner-up Marianne Alex then brought the violation to the Student Court, whose justices disqualified LaBayne and MacDonald from the election. Immediately following the decision, MacDonald asked, “We won by 1,000 votes and you’re going to try to disqualify us for a Facebook post?” Several weeks later, elections supervisor Douglas Speed called for a special election.

Photo by Alexander Rodriguez UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

MACDONALD: I wouldn’t say the elections are illegal for some of the reasons I’ve already gone over. I think the special election, if anything, is the best medium for everyone because it allows the students to vote in the election, and its important that their vote is heard. If a majority of students voted for someone, then unless they can prove those votes were invalid, they should become the winner. No real election was ever thrown out over a Facebook post. I’m fine with the special elections because I want the students to decide. I don’t think a student court of four students out of 30,000 should be able to decide the fate of an entire election.

UP: Why did you decide to run in the first place? LABAYNE: Everyone always laughs because I say I’m going to be the president of the United States one day just because I’ve gone through a lot and I want to help people. That’s why I started in Student Government. That’s why I’ve done everything, it’s because I want to help people. They all say, “Jackie, it’s dirty. You don’t want to get involved in that. Everything is a game and people try to go against you. You watch ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Scandal.’ They paint this vivid picture of what politics is.” It was hard running with school work and my organizations. But God has a plan for everything and I hope his plan is good for me and for the students as well. UP: Is there anything you want the student body to know? MACDONALD: This won’t go on forever and I hope all this craziness comes to an end soon, but their vote does matter and it’s important to vote in the student elections. LABAYNE: Go out and vote because your voice matters.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT AT ODDS

Current student body Vice President Kyle MacDonald sits at his desk in the Student Government offices. He ran for re-election under Jacqueline LaBayne in February but they were disqualified after campaigning early. Photo by Alexander Rodriguez

it’s hurting what is left of her time as president. She cited low attendance at one of her recent events as a sign things aren’t the way they should be.

Current student body President Emily Lawless weighs in on the special election.

To raise awareness for sexual assault, Lawless hosted an “It’s On Us” event. After spending $4,000, she said only 30 people showed up.

While Emily Lawless thinks the special election is what’s best for Student Government long term, she maintains

“They just completely disregarded current Student Government to start focusing on post-Student Government,” she said.

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

Lawless added that this distraction has left her feeling helpless in her term and created a divide in Student Government, which makes it difficult to get work done. She commented that there is a misconception Kyle MacDonald and Jacqueline LaBayne broke campaign rules (see A “Major” Mistake sidebar on page 15). Because they got permission for the post from the Elections Board, Lawless said, the candidates should’ve been in the clear, despite the board later admitting its approval was a mistake.

ADVISER INSIGHT

Donald Van Pelt, who helps advise Student Government, gives his take on the special election. By Alexander Rodriguez

S THE DIRECTOR of Student Activities and Involvement, Donald Van Pelt helps advise Student Government. And over the course of the last month, he’s aided in advising students on the special election, which was called after the February election winners were disqualified for violating campaign rules. In the following email interview, which remains unedited, Van Pelt weighs in on the special election. UP: Do you believe this special election is legal? Why? Yes, I believe the Special Election is legal. The spring 2018 elections was invalidated, in accordance with the elections statue 320.000, the elections board called for a special election. UP: Do you believe having a special election will change the outcome? I.e. Do you think the previous winning ticket, Jacqueline LaBayne and Kyle MacDonald, will win again? And if so, why? Having a special election will give all students an opportunity for their voices to be heard. We have two tickets and are expecting a competitive special election and the outcome is in the hands of the student body. UP: Can you explain the special election clearly so students not involved with SG can better understand it? I will explain this situation in its simplest form, however this is a complex situation. There was a total of 8.2% of the student body that voted, this is considered a high turnout for Florida Atlantic University. Before releasing official results, students who feel that a candidate has violated election rules may file a contestation. A contestation requires the election board to review the allegation and determine whether a

The Elections Board Chair believed that in order to uphold the integrity of student government elections, the students voice should determine their student representatives and therefore, called for a special election. The Chief Justice immediately put in a 72 hour stay in order to determine whether a special election was constitutional. The Court held a meeting and rendered the special election unconstitutional, which is not a decision within the scope of authority of the student court. As a result, the Elections Board maintained that there sole interest was to protect the integrity of student government and the election and determined that since the court had rendered a decision outside of the scope of their authority, that they would continue with the Special Election.

UP: How do you think the special election violation occurred, if a violation occurred was it a should run? Is it going the way you’d want? major violation or minor violation, or whether the The special election is currently running in violation impacted the election results. accordance with the elections statutes which is The elections board heard all contestations on how I would like it ran. March 2 and decided that none of them impacted the elections results. Therefore, the contestations UP: Have you personally advised Chief were dismissed. Prior to election results being Justice Isaiah Moriarity about the legality of officially released, students the special election? can appeal contestation results “I think all students I have had a number of to the student court if they discussions with the Chief involved would believe that the elections board Justice about the special committed an error in their agree that our elections and have advised him decision. Several appeals were current Student to the best of my ability. sent to the court alleging the Government elections board ruled in error. UP: Have any of the The court found that a major statutes need to candidates come to you for violation had occurred when advice about the special be updated and as a GoFund me page, that was election? a result, will work approved by the elections No candidates have come to board, was posted on Facebook to improving the me for advice about the special for approximately 20 hours. elections. I have been asked statutes for the The penalty for a major by many students about the future.” violation is either removal of statutes of the current elections votes but only when evidence Donald Van Pelt process. However, my role as demonstrates the exact number Director of SAI requires me to of votes acquired as a result of the violation or maintain neutrality throughout this process. disqualification. Since the court had no way of UP: How will this affect future SG outcomes? tallying any votes that may have resulted from the social media post, three of the four chief I think all students involved would agree that our justices felt they had no choice but to disqualify current Student Government statutes need to be the candidates. updated and as a result, will work to improving the An appeal was filed to the Vice President of statutes for the future. Student Affairs alleging due process had been UP: Is there anything you’d like the student violated since the contestation had already been body to know? ruled upon by the election board and dismissed, I would like the student body to know that all and they had unofficially won the election by almost parties involved believe that they are doing what 900 student votes. The Vice President of Student is in the best interest of the student body. I hope Affairs reviewed the appeal and responded that that all students involved grow personally and due process was provided and ultimately referred professionally as a result of this process. the matter back to the Elections Board. UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

ARE THE RUMORS TRUE?

From egging a house to an election conspiracy, Student Government members share the rumors surrounding the special election. By University Press Staff

IDESPREAD RUMORS have plagued the Student Government special election for the last month, leading to strained relationships and infighting. The University Press spoke with many of the key players involved in these rumors to determine where they stand. Here’s what they told us.

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

COLLEAGUES OR COLLUSION

Did two SG members conspire to disqualify the winning candidates?

EGGHEADS

The Players

Kyle MacDonald Current study body VP and special election VP hopeful

Did an SG member egg the current VP’s house? Emily Lawless Current student body president Kyle MacDonald Current study body VP and special election VP hopeful Noah Goldberg House representative Marianne Alex Current presidential hopeful and February election runner-up Emily Lawless said that Kyle MacDonald’s house was vandalized in the past several weeks. “[Some members of SG] just sit around and talk and gossip and cause problems and egg people’s houses,” she said. “Kyle’s house was egged. I’m not listing names, but I know because they were lurking outside my office and someone made a joke about egging and next thing you know…” And while Lawless isn’t naming names, Noah Goldberg believes SG members blame him for the egging. The House representative, who supports Marianne Alex for student body president, said, “Members ranking above me in Student Government think I egged Kyle MacDonald’s house. I did not egg [his] house and it is insulting for anyone to think I would do so. I would never stoop to that level for any reason.” The University Press reached out to MacDonald for comment but has not received a response as of publication time.

Jacqueline LaBayne Current presidential hopeful and February election president-elect

Marianne Alex Current presidential hopeful and February election runner-up Isaiah Moriarity Student Court chief justice Jon Carter Director of governmental relations An unknown student sent Marianne Alex a photo of her and Isaiah Moriarity eating at a nearby Chipotle, according to Moriarity. That photo led some SG members to believe the two secretly cooperated to disqualify Jacqueline LaBayne and Kyle MacDonald from serving after their February election win, according to Moriarity. The chief justice, along with the Student Court, ultimately decided to kick the two out of office following their victory. If it wasn’t for the special election, runner-up Alex would’ve become president. Alex maintained she and Moriarity partially met to discuss recruiting and training new SG members.

The key players involved in the rumors circulating throughout Student Government.

“I would say I’ve met with Isaiah two, maybe three times … [The photo] had to have been taken before the campaign election and now they’re trying to say, ‘Hey, they’ve been seeing each other.’ There is nothing romantic between me and Isaiah,” she said. “He unofficially mentors new people, they meet with him, and he will keep me in the loop too because I do have, like, 50 or so members and they all can’t come to me for mentoring. So I want to keep up with what they’re doing, what they’re thinking.” Moriarity claimed he and Alex also met to discuss their Advanced Campaigning class, which he took last year. He added that it’s traditional for members of the class to reach out to past students who have done well. “I have shared my knowledge in advanced campaigning with several students in the class, not just Marianne Alex … I will state unequivocally that meeting with Marianne Alex about advanced campaigning did not impact the way the statutes

are written or the way the court followed them,” he said via email. He added: “Even if I was biased in some way as certain SG members accuse, if you remove my vote [on the Student Court] then it would be 3-0 responsible for the major violation and 2-1 to disqualify. In other words, regardless of me the LaBayne/MacDonald ticket would still be disqualified because they broke the rules. If you listen to the recordings it is clear that the associate justices made their own decision with very little influence from me at all.” John Carter, director of governmental relations, took issue with Moriarity’s one-on-one meetings with Alex. “If you’re about to make a decision about a very clearly controversial decision and you’re meeting with the candidates, whether it’s your friend or not, that’s a conflict of interest. I mean, people are going to see that, people are going to take pictures, they’re going to, you know, submit that,” he said.

Emily Lawless. Photo courtesy of FAU

Marianne Alex and Noah Goldberg. Photos by Alexander Rodriguez

Emily Lawless

Marianne Alex

“And this whole taking pictures of each other and trying to get people disqualified, it’s some politics you see on the municipal, state, or federal level and it’s not what Student Government’s about.” LaBayne spoke on behalf of her and MacDonald, saying that just the appearance of a conflict of interest is a problem. “While I can’t say for certain what they were talking about at chipotle, I can tell you it appears to be a conflict of interest and would never be allowed in a real court of law,” she said via email. “If a trial judge was seen eating lunch with one of the parties in a pending case the case would be thrown out immediately regardless of what they claimed to be discussing because it would appear as a clear conflict of interest.” Continued Next Page

Noah Goldberg

UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

HOUSE OF CARDS

Has the Student Court chief justice become power hungry? The Players Michael Cairo Former student body president Isaiah Moriarity Student Court chief justice Kyle MacDonald Current study body VP and special election VP hopeful Emily Lawless Current student body president Jon Carter Director of governmental relations

Michael Cairo, who served as student body president from 2016-17, thinks Isaiah Moriarity grew power hungry throughout his term as chief justice. “The fact of the matter we have going on right now with the Student Court is that, like, I hired Isaiah Moriarty as chief justice when he applied,” he said. “I don’t know what happened but throughout the years, he kind of started to get a little weird he would say things like, ‘Oh, as chief justice, I could just invalidate the election and then become like the dictator of Student Government, like, ‘Haha just kidding,’ but like, he actually did it so I’m very like concerned.” He added: “It’s just so ridiculous for a student justice position to think that this is turning

The key players involved in the rumors circulating throughout Student Government.

Michael Cairo and John Carter. Photos courtesy of Facebook

Michael Cairo

APRIL 25, 2018 UNIVERSITY PRESS

Student Government into ‘House of Cards,’ it’s such a waste of everyone’s time … then you have him being friends with the other ticket, it doesn’t really sound like being fair and unbiased, therefore, I think it’s totally fair for Student Affairs to step in.” Moriarity believes this is a personal attack that doesn’t keep in mind his professional record. “If I wanted to become Student Body President I would have ran in an election like any other candidate, but it is not the place of the Chief Justice to run for an election,” he said via email. “As far as dictatorships go I would argue that I have been the biggest component of balance of powers and rule of law.” He added: “I will say that Michael Cairo is good friends with Emily Lawless, Kyle MacDonald, and Jon Carter. Emily Lawless and Kyle MacDonald served in his [political action committee] and Jon Carter is his little in their fraternity. All of which have been party to attacks on myself, the court, and have called for my resignation …”

Kyle MacDonald. Photo by Alexander Rodriguez

John Carter

Kyle MacDonald

NOBODY GIVES A HOOT Less than 10 percent of FAU’s 28,000 students voted for student body president this year despite Student Government’s efforts to promote the election. By Katrina Scales

TUDENT GOVERNMENT has control of almost $8.6 million of students’ money, yet only 8.2 percent of students (2,317) voted for the people who decide how it’s spent. So why aren’t more students voting? Do they even know elections are happening? Long gone are the days of paper ballots. February’s online election via Owl Central was promoted by SG members tabling across each campus, giving out free food and swag. But that still wasn’t enough to convince more than a couple thousand students to vote. Although, this year’s election saw double the number of students vote. Only 1,226 voted in the spring 2017 election, which means SG is at least on its way to improving voter turnout. Craig Agranoff, an FAU adjunct instructor of Advanced Campaigning, said he’s observed five SG presidential cycles and is always shocked at the lack of student participation in elections. “I don’t know what they need to motivate them but the FAU Student Government elections are a perfect example of how you can make it the easiest thing in the world, and yet, [students] still just don’t care,” said Agranoff. But voter apathy and lack of awareness go far beyond FAU’s elections. They plague other universities as well.

A MATTER OF LOCATION When it comes to campaigning for an election, FAU students must comply to a strict set of rules when advertising their candidacy. During the

major Dana Saulter said she had few reasons to visit the campus outside of attending class. “All I’ve seen of [the Student Government Association] during my whole college experience is just the voting,” Saulter said. “I have no idea what the Student Government does because I’ve never seen them actually doing anything.” Campus culture, geography, and housing have a significant impact on the ability to get the attention of students as well as their school pride. “All I’ve seen of [the Consider the University of Student Government Florida (see sidebar), where freshmen are required to live Association] during on campus — without a car my whole college — in Gainesville, a college town. Nearly 20 percent of UF experience is just students voted in their spring the voting. I have election.

two-week campaign period, candidates must adhere to requirements detailing how large posters can be, what the posters can say, and even how they can campaign via social media. Campaign materials like flyers and posters can’t be no idea what the posted in on-campus dorms, ELECTIONS: Student Government FAU libraries, classrooms, or TAKE TWO computer labs — basically, does because I’ve The April 24-25 special anywhere students heavily never seen them election takes place a day after populate. This might classes end. actually doing explain why many students And based on the February consistently have no idea anything.” election’s voter turnout and elections are happening. Dana Saulter with finals in full swing, And in Boca Raton, students Commuter student there may be an even smaller are going to school in the number of students showing center of a business district, up to the polls this time around. three miles from the beach, and 45 minutes from Some students are preparing for graduation as downtown Miami. well, like SG elections supervisor Doug Speed. According to Agranoff, these distractions play a The graduating senior organized the original large role in the overall engagement of students election and is now responsible for overseeing the (aware or not) and their willingness to participate special election. in campus events. “I wasn’t super stoked for it because I have six classes and with the special election now, the SHOW UP, GO TO CLASS, GO HOME elections are going to be going on during all my FAU is home to more than 4,000 students living finals,” Speed said. “The day that I now have to do on campus, which leaves 24,000 commuters who the elections hearing — I have two finals that day.” only frequent the campus for several hours at a time before driving home. Commuter student and senior communication

Continued Next Page

UNIVERSITY PRESS APRIL 25, 2018

HOW DOES FAU’S VOTER TURNOUT COMPARE TO FLORIDA UNIVERSITIES? Larger campuses appear to have a lower voter turnout than universities with smaller student populations, with the exception of the University of Florida. Six out of the 12 public universities in Florida did not respond to multiple requests for Student Government voter data. The average voter turnout of the following six universities is 10.9 percent.

10%

12%

14%

20%

Percent of Students Who Voted

Florida Florida International Atlantic University University

University of North Florida

Florida University Polytechnic of West University Florida

University of Florida

University

58,886

28,011

15,944

1,444

12,979

52,367

Total Student Population

1,182*

2,317

1,648

168

1,756

10,381

Total Votes Cast

*FIU has two student body presidents, one for each campus. This number is the sum of votes cast for both unopposed candidates.* Requests were made for voter turnout numbers from Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida A&M University, and New College of Florida. None have responded as of publication time. Information courtesy of universities’ websites and the supervisors of elections.

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