Word: referenda
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Some opponents to the referendum are concerned that students will not be informed enough to make the decision, while others fear that a vague statement of student sentiment will open the floodgates to referenda on other issues in the future. Students do not understand the cost implications of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they argue, and besides, they say, Harvard could spend money more effectively on energy research...
...needs to choose wisely the referenda that it places on its ballot. Referenda on students’ preferences on vague issues do not have a place in a campus election. Without knowing the cost of this proposal and who will pay for it, students can only voice their support for the idea of reducing emissions. Until more information is available to students, this referendum belongs in a basket of well intentioned ideas, but not on a UC ballot...
...informing students. Otherwise, polls risk simply aggregating the ignorance of students on most UC issues. We elect UC representatives to be both experts and representatives. While we do not want a UC out of tune with students, we would be more concerned by a student government run entirely by referenda...
Specifically, we hope, except in rare circumstances, that the UC avoids polling directly on legislative items. Doing so would allow the UC to use referenda as a crutch when it feels like avoiding particularly divisive or hairy issues. Moreover, such polling might endow a false sense of legitimacy for the UC to take stands on political issues like foreign policy, domestic policy, or janitor wages—a distraction we have repeatedly lambasted the UC in the past...
...government. Totally controlled by Democrats and devoid of any competition, the legislature is solidified, bordering on corrupt. So, if the legislature does not want to address an issue, it doesn’t have to; there’s no pressure from within, and so special interests turn to referenda. Quite simply, something must be done. One solution is Proposition 77, a ballot measure which will have retired judges draw district lines in an effort to end gerrymandering and reintroduce competition. But while its premise has a lot of promise, Proposition 77 could be a logistical nightmare. It calls...