Editorial
Senate should create
confirmation criteria
Following a suggestion from Student Senate Chairman
Randy MacDonald, the senate is investigating an addition to
its bylaws defining the process and guidelines for the confir
mation of ASUO appointments.
The senate should develop such guidelines to ensure
that its confirmations are responsible and consistent, and
therefore fufill the critical role it plays in the ASUO's
governmental system.
The question arises after the controversial confirmation
of James Randall to the Incidental Fee Committee last
spring.
The senate initially voted not to confirm Randall. Ques
tioning the senate's procedure, the executive again submit
ted Randall, along with six other appointees, to the senate
Tuesday night of finals week in an effort to make the ap
pointments before the senate adjourned for the summer.
At this meeting, responding to the procedural questions
and strong support of the executive, the senate overturned
its previous decision and confirmed Randall.
The primary confusion facing the new senate, most of
whose members were newly elected, was what criteria to use
for confirmations.
MacDonald defined confirmation criteria for the senate
at the time, but it is unclear if the senate knew such criteria
had not been accepted formally by the senate and could be
challenged.
MacDonald has started the process to formalize suen
criteria. Some of his proposals are good, particularly about
the conduct of senate confirmation hearings; the hearings
should be open, with the potential appointee and a represen
tative of the president present to respond to both the senate
and any public testimony.
On the other hand, the senate should be careful about
restricting itself in what criteria are appropriate for confir
mation del iberat ions.
The emphasis of any confirmation hearing should be on
the performance of the potential appointee; if students have
complaints about the appointee's previous conduct as an
ASUO official, such complaints must be considered by their
representatives on the senate.
In an oft-forgotten clause, the ASUO Constitution for
bids political discrimination, so the politicial beliefs or af
filiations of appointees are not appropriate considerations.
However, it is a valid concern if the senate feels an ap
pointee has shown an insensitivity to the non
discrimination doctrine or any other constitutional doctrine.
While it would be easier if the senate played a minimal
role in the confirmation process, students must have this
representative input into officials who are appointed rather
than elected — especially since one appointment to either
the five-member Constitution Court or the seven-member
IFC represents a substantial portion of the body's vote.
The ASUO must wean itself from the notion that it is a
student advocacy agency, and that the confirmation process
is part of a glorified hiring process. Ultimately, these ques
tions must be dealt with as governance questions rather than
as administrative questions.
With no clear heirarchical structure, the ASUO relies on
devices such as senate confirmations to provide the few im
portant checks within student government
In practice, the senate will continue to support the vast
majority of presidential appointments. If, however, a presi
dent makes a series of controversial appointments, the
senate must have meaningful oversight to protect student in
terests as the appointments are made.
Letters
Humanism
lu a previous letter I said that
Christians had no grounds for
opposing abortion (Ol)K. Dec.
2). Humanists, on the other
hand (and I regard myself as one
of them) believe that man is the
measure of all things.
If there is any principle that a
Humanist should hold above all
others, it is a reverence for life.
However, many who call
themselves Humanists ap
parently regard abortion as the
moral equivalent of clipping a
fingernail.
The convenience of the
powerful supercedes the sur
vival of the helpless. As
predicted by many abortion op
ponents. the thoughtless accep
tance of abortion has led to the
termination of other “inconve
nient” lives, even after their
birth. The infamous Indiana
case a few years ago in which a
newborn infant was starved to
death with the permission of a
judge is an example.
It is hard to understand how
anyone who considers human
life the pinnacle of creation can
support abortion. Such people
hide their heads from the cer
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tainty that abortion — like hun
ting, boxing and capital
punishment — damages the
value system that places life in a
special catagory above material
objects.
This argument, however,
makes sense only to those who
love and respect the human race
— not to a Christian who
believes man to be worthy of
eternal torture.
Of course, I am speaking to a
tiny audience here. Most
students have little regard for
God or man. They revere only
their future paychecks and
stock options. They will find
their lives woefully empty.
Stan VerNooy
GTF, math
Research
Should our Riverfront
Research Park be a backroom for
faculty participation in
classified Star Wars research?
The announced policies of
the University administration
make it all too easy for that to
occur, in violation of the spirit
of faculty legislation banning
classified research on campus.
Vice President John Moseley
will explain the administration
position at the Faculty Senate
meeting this week. Wednesday.
Dec. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in Room
338 Gilbert Hall.
This is a rare opportunity for
Assembly members to hear and
appraise administration reason
ing that threatens the quality of
education and the principle of
faculty governance at the
University.
Franklin W. Stahl
Biology professor
Think again
This letter is addressed to
Clint Kaster, who wrote to de
fend Ronald Reagan and to
assert that Nixon was a far
worse criminal (ODE. Dec. 8).
Mr. Kaster is very loyal and
patriotic. He is also the kind of
blind dupe who would have
worked for Nixon.
Mr. Kaster claims that when
Nixon violated the trust of the
American voters, he did
something far worse than
Reagan's arms deals (with Iran)
to fund the Contras.
This kind of chauvinism
makes me sick. Richard Nixon
got into dirty politics. Clint.
Ronald Reagan either knew or
should have known that arms
were sold to fund the rape of
women, the murder of children
and the burning of crops and
schools in memory of Anastasio
Somoza and William Walker.
To the best of my knowledge.
Watergate led to no rapes,
murders or school-burnings.
Think again Clint!
Michael Dawson
Senior, sociology
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