ASB gearing up for spring elections, deadline is Feb. 3

The Associated Student Body spring election season kicks off Feb. 3, and petitions for the 2012-13 ASB officers are available for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, attorney general and judicial chair.

The petitions, which must have at least 25 signatures of eligible voters (full-time students) and specific personal information are due Friday, Feb. 3, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Campaigning will begin Feb. 13.

ASB vice president Abby Olivier describes the campaigning experience as fun, unique and energetic.

“From start to finish, it’s a long process,” she said. “A lot of candidates start well before election day; most of the time, the semester before.”

The campaigning period is the time for a candidate to get his or her message out to the student body, according to current ASB president Taylor McGraw.

“Reaching out to the students — that’s the number one challenge that everybody is going to face,” he said. “Another is convincing them (A) why you’re the better candidate and (B) why they should care and vote.”

Olivier said she encourages future candidates to express their individuality in their campaign and to try their hardest.

“Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do just because of politics or for the glory of winning,” she said.

The general elections, which start Feb. 21, will determine the six students who will serve and fulfill the duties of the following positions:

President

The president, who holds executive power of the ASB, must have a minimum 2.75 GPA and must have completed 60 credit hours, of which 30 hours must be on the Oxford campus.

The president is required to serve at least 40 hours a month toward student services, including office hours, meetings and functions, in order to receive compensation of $300 a month.

There are a variety of powers held among the president, such as the power to veto bills passed on from the Campus Senate and budget submissions, and the power to nominate and appoint cabinet members to assist in the duties of the executive branch.

“Getting really good people to work with you is essential,” McGraw said of his 20-member cabinet. “I had a tremendous cabinet this year.”

Vice President

The vice president serves as president of the Campus Senate, which holds power over the legislative branch.

Along with the same credit hour and GPA requirements as the president, the vice president must serve a minimum of one semester on the Campus Senate.

The vice president is required to serve at least 35 hours a month toward student services in order to receive compensation of $275 a month for nine months of the term.

If the presidency were to become available before the full term is completed, the vice president would take over the president’s duties.

Secretary

The secretary manages the office of the ASB and performs the duties of preparing requests for budget expenses and maintaining and updating member lists, files, catalogs and more.

The secretary is required to serve at least 30 hours a month toward student services in order to receive compensation of $250 a month for nine months.

A minimum GPA of 2.75, 36 credit hours and one full year at Ole Miss are required.

Treasurer

The treasurer position, which requires the same GPA and credit hours as the secretary, prepares statements of funds and proposed budgets and must have budget appropriations approved by the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1.

Along with the secretary, the treasurer must serve at least 30 hours a month toward student services in order to receive compensation of $250 a month for nine months.

Attorney General

The attorney general is the head of the Department of Justice in the executive branch of ASB.

The duty of organizing student elections, responsibilities to the Campus Senate Committee on Governmental Operations, and advising officers requires an understanding of the laws and codes of the ASB constitution.

The attorney general must have a minimum of 45 credit hours and a GPA of 2.5.

The attorney general must also serve at least 10 hours a month toward student services in order to receive compensation of $80 a month for nine months of the term.

Judicial Chair

The judicial chair is the head of the ASB and university judicial proceedings.

At least two semesters as members of the council and a minimum of 36 credit hours are required to run for chair.

The judicial chair must also serve at least 35 hours a month towards student services in order to receive compensation of $275 a month for nine months.

As McGraw turns over his role as president, he hopes the future president will be able to get to everything that needs change or improvement, especially the constitution, by amending the salaries and requirements.

“We have one year, and that’s not very long to implement everything we want to,” he said. “The constitution has a lot of outdated things that we need to get right.”

Olivier also hopes the future officers will be able to maintain the energy the ASB has developed this past year.

“Our elected officials did a great job this year of being transparent with the student body,” she said. “We became more energized.”

For more information on campaigning, eligibility requirements and the election, visit the ASB website at dos.orgsync.com/org/umasb or the ASB office located in Union Room 408.