Constitution Court has home
to better highlight its services
■The ASUO Court finally has
a place to hang its hat, and
justices hope a new system
is more open to students
By Emily Gust
Oregon Daily Emerald
They’ve found a new office,
and they’re gathering their past.
And after functioning without
a fixed location or organization
system, the ASUO Constitution
Court is in the process of making
itself more available to students.
“We’re an organization. We’re
part of the ASUO, and we’re the
third branch of government,”
Chief Justice Robert Raschio said.
“In the past we’ve been accessible
to students but not as accessible
as we could be.”
The court comprises five
student justices, two from the
undergraduate program and three
others hailing from the law
school.
Operating previously out of the
ASUO Executive office, the court
essentially had no permanent
place to call its own. Documents
and court decisions were stored
anywhere from the ASUO office
to the hands of individual
justices.
But perhaps the most pressing
issue was that many students did
not know the court was there.
“I think some people read
about a Con Court decision, and
they have no idea where it came
from,” Justice Ashan Awan said.
“The Con Court’s sort of a
shadow program without a fixed
location.”
So in order to make itself more
accessible to students while also
developing a more effective
system of procedure, the court is
undergoing an overhaul.
“It’s important for the court to
start moving in a direction where
we offer up a better package so
that students who want to access
information know how and
where to do it,” Raschio said.
The court is moving into Room
20 of the EMU, which is where
several other student groups are
centered. In addition to filing and
storing documents there, tha jus
tices will hold office hours during
the week beginning fall term.
Awan said that with the new of
fice, students will now see that
the court is an actual ASUO pro
gram and can inquire about get
ting involved.
In addition, the process of filing
grievances with the court will be
much easier. Instead'of students
being unaware of specific proce
dure when dealing with the court,
they can get advice from the jus
tices before turning in briefs about
their cases.
“People can get advisory opin
ions quickly and on the spot,”
Awan said.
This applies also to elections
time, during which students turn
in potential ballot measures to the
court for review. This process is
another one the court would like
to simplify, by stressing that it is
not something that has to wait un
til the last minute.
“If people have ballot meas
ures, I would remind them that
they don’t have to wait until two
weeks before [the election],”
Vergamini said.
Also in the office will be a li
brary of legal documents and
court history that both students
and court members will be able to
take advantage of. The court is
looking to compile past court de
cisions and bind them into a
book.
“Hopefully [we’ll] be able to es
tablish some institutional history
that way,” Justice Daniel Vergami
ni said. “It will establish more
continuity, and we’ll be able to
rely a lot more on precedent in
stead of perhaps having to rein
vent the wheel in some cases.”
If things go as planned, the in
formation will not only be avail
able in the office; the court also
Constitution Court
2000
Changes in store for the ASUO Con
stitution Court:
A new office in Room 20 of the
EMU, where there will be a library
of legal documents and a bound
compilation of court decisions for
the past 10 years.
A Web page that is currently under
construction, possibly providing
links to the court’sdecisions.
Regular office hours, which will
begin fall term. During this time,
students may come by with ques
tions for the court, especially
about potential ballot measures
and grievances.
SOURCE: ASUO Constitution Court
hopes to provide it on-line. While
still under construction, the Web
pages will eventually have links
to much of the same information
available in the office itself.
“History and decisions [are go
ing to be] out there for everyone to
see, including faculty, staff and
community individuals who are
interested in what we’re doing,”
Awan said.
In the end, this overhaul will
pay off for the court by making its
job easier. Earlier this year when
it held hearings regarding a cou
ple of separate grievances, it was
difficult for the court to find what
it needed.
“We held the hearings,” Awan
said. “We didn’t have a clerk, and
it was hard to get documents.”
In addition to the recent moves,
two justice seats on the court it
self will soon be open. Justice
Vergamini and Justice Elliot Dale
are both graduating at the end of
the year.
“We would like to fill those two
seats with undergraduates,”
Awan said. “Right now the court
is law student heavy, which may
or may not be a good thing.
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