Authored by: Alexander Walters ’28
Endorsed by: Hayden Watkins ’28, Zora deRham ’27, Lydia Blum ’27, Jai Anand ’29, Max Ehrlich ’26, Christian Tarala ’27
Reviewed by: Communications Committee, 04/12/2026
Type of Action: Internal Policy
Originally Presented: 04/16/2026
Current Status: Adopted by the Assembly, 22-0-0, 04/30/2026
Whereas, the Student Assembly is a democratically elected legislative body that is committed to free and fair elections,
Whereas, Section 6 of the Student Assembly Bylaws outlines the duties and responsibilities of the Vice President for Communications,
Whereas, the Communications Committee is tasked with coordinating, creating and delivering transparent, informational content to the student body throughout the term,
Whereas, that content often includes the names, initiatives, and discourses of Student Assembly members in the interest of transparency and community engagement,
Whereas, “election season” begins when registration opens for Petitions for Candidacy, as referred to in the The Election Rules of the Assembly, and ends after final election results have been formally announced,
Whereas, excessive or praiseworthy focus on current Assembly members who are running for reelection can be construed as institutional endorsement, an unfair advantage to the candidate in question that undermines the election’s integrity.
Be it therefore resolved, that Section 6 of the Student Assembly Bylaws be amended to include a ninth subsection, reading:
- Conform to the following standards during election season, hereon defined as the period between when registration opens for Petitions for Candidacy and after final election results have been formally announced;
- in public-facing materials regarding recent Assembly business, include the names of current Assembly members who are running for reelection (contemporaneous candidates) only insofar as they are authors of a resolution or an amendment to one, or made a procedurally/contextually relevant motion;
- Not delegate responsibility or grant liberty to contemporaneous candidates to deliver or in any way be the face of public-facing Assembly communications materials;
- in the case that the Vice President for Communications is themselves a contemporaneous candidate, not unilaterally deliver or post public-facing Assembly communications materials without the approval of a second Communications Committee Member who is not a contemporaneous candidate;
- appoint a Liaison to the Elections Committee who is a Communications Committee Member but not a contemporaneous candidate, who will serve as a point of regular contact to ensure that public-facing Assembly communications materials adhere to The Election Rules of the Student Assembly and uphold the integrity of the election.
Be it finally resolved, that the Student Assembly remains committed to ensuring the integrity of its elections.
Respectfully Submitted,
Alexander Walters ’28
Vice President for Communications, Student Assembly
Hayden Watkins ’28
Vice President for Finance, Student Assembly
Zora deRham ’27
President of the Student Assembly
Lydia Blum ’27
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Representative, Student Assembly
Jai Anand ’29
Freshmen Representative, Student Assembly
Max Ehrlich ’26
School of Industrial and Labor Relations Representative, Student Assembly
Christian Tarala ’27
Deputy to the Vice President for Finance, Student Assembly
