Democracy in USG Under Siege

Last week, Megan Calcaterra introduced legislation to your student government that would undermine the very foundations of representative government for our diverse student body. Calcaterra’s proposal is to get rid of constituencies in USG. You see, constituencies were created last year, in an effort to diversify USG and end the practice of packing the legislative assembly with friends and cronies. Constituencies guarantee that the many diverse segments of the UIC student body will have representation.

Currently constituencies provide representation for every academic discipline, various segments of campus housing, commuter students, student athletes, and Greek organizations. Suggested future changes are to include representation for veterans, and to expand efforts to provide representation for more underrepresented populations on campus. Think of it like having 2 Senators from every state in the US Senate. Some states (like diversity groups) may be smaller than others, but this way every one gets a voice.

Megan Calcaterra wants to undo all this? She doesn’t want your student government to be representative of of this diverse campus? Why do you suppose that is?

This is yet another attempt to complete the efforts began last spring by Students for Better Government (SBG) to take complete control of your student government. Many of you may recall the confusion in last year’s elections where SBG representatives compelled students to vote in the USG election and handed them a list, or “voting guide” of only SBG members on it. This is a classic Communist tactic to stuff ballot boxes with votes for one candidate or slate of candidates.

Guess who was caught on tape doing this very thing! Megan Calcaterra! This was just one piece in a large puzzle that eventually led to the disqualification of the entire SBG slate from the USG election.

Now, Calceterra wants to continue her efforts to get her friends and cronies into positions of power, but one things stands in her way: Constituencies. You see, constituencies make it extremely difficult for someone to pack an assembly with all their friends and cronies because constituencies place limitations on representation.

Imagine if the US Senate wasn’t limited to 2 Senators per state and all 100 Senators could conceivably be elected from one state, representing one limited group of people’s interests. Would that be fair and equal representation of this country? This is exactly what removing constituencies will accomplish, and it is perfectly in line with Calcaterra’s approach to democracy in the past: Get your friends elected at all cost, and don’t give the people diversity of choice.

Stop the cheats. Stop the elites. Be informed. Be involved. Go to USG Meetings.

Next USG Meeting: Thursday, Oct 1, 5pm in Burnham Hall 308 – Facebook Event

Contact your USG representatives and tell them how you feel by clicking RIGHT HERE!

Damian Wolak
President of USG
usgpresident@gmail.com

Kevin lee
Vice President of USG
usgvicepresident@gmail.com

Roshina Khan
Speaker of the Assembly
usgspeaker@gmail.com

Joel Ebert – disqualified Student Trustee Candidate, April 2009
USG Assembly Member
Co-Founder of SBG
Former Editor for The Chicago Flame
jebert3@uic.edu

Sean Murray – disqualified USG Vice President Candidate, April 2009
USG Assembly Member
President of SBG
Current writer for The Chicago Flame
smurra3@uic.edu

Sara Agate – disqualified Assembly Candidate; reinstated May 2009
USG Assembly Member
Member of SBG
sagate2@uic.edu

Bernadette Casaclang – disqualified Assembly Candidate; reinstated May 2009
USG Assembly Member
Member of SBG
bcasac2@uic.edu

Heather Kaufman – disqualified Assembly Candidate; reinstated May 2009
USG Assembly Member
Member of SBG
Former contributor to The Chicago Flame
hkaufm2@uic.edu

Cecilia Real – disqualified Assembly Candidate; reinstated May 2009
USG Assembly Member
Member of SBG
creal2@uic.edu

Danielle Schubert – disqualified Assembly Candidate; reinstated May 2009
USG Assembly Member
Member of SBG
dschub2@uic.edu

Geoff Berkheimer – disqualified Assembly Candidate; reinstated May 2009
USG Assembly Member
Member of SBG
Former contributor to The Chicago Flame
gberkh2@uic.edu

Megan Calcaterra – caught illegally campaigning for SBG, April 2009
USG Assembly Member
Affiliate of SBG
mcalca2@uic.edu

Jake ‘Ohsofresh’ Johnson – participated in the SBG campaign, April 2009
USG Assembly Member
jjohns82@uic.edu

Saad Jamil – USG Vice Presidential Candidate, April 2009
USG Assembly Member
sjamil2@uic.edu

Vrushank Shah – returning member from 2008-09
USG Assembly Member
vshahs2@uic.edu

Areazue Hosseini – returning member from 2008-09
USG Assembly Member
ahosse4@uic.edu

Alex Fernandez – returning member from 2008-09
USG Assembly Member
aferna7@uic.edu

Johnathan Hoekstra – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
jhoeks5@uic.edu

Monika Karczmarczyk – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
mkarcz2@uic.edu

Agnieszka Kirpa – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
akirpa2@uic.edu

Steve Mower – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
smower2@uic.edu

Alex Rogers – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
aroger4@uic.edu

Davor Trnovljakovic – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
dtrnov2@uic.edu

Alma Zamudio – new to USG
USG Assembly Member
azamud2@uic.edu