Ventura College Officials, Students Clash Over Election

A candidate rips down a rival’s campaign signs, a witness comes forward and all hell breaks loose. Sound familiar?

No, this isn’t about Assembly candidate Richard Sybert. This is about Ventura College student Susan Carrasco, whose recent campaign for student body president was derailed by accusations of dirty politics, including vandalizing her opponent’s signs.

Unlike Sybert, however, Carrasco was not caught on videotape and continues to assert her innocence. Still, a student election committee launched an investigation into the sign-removing claim and several other allegations of election misconduct. The panel eventually disqualified Carrasco.

Now, community college officials have stepped in. They say the investigation was bungled, and after a heated meeting with students Tuesday, ordered a runoff election between Carrasco and rival Monica Sanchez.

But the drama is not over: Student body officials vow to ignore the administration order and install Sanchez this week.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Executive Vice President of Student Learning Ron Dyste, a top college official, defended the administration’s right to overrule the student committee, at one point waving several pages of state laws and college bylaws.

“In a nutshell, student government is governed by the college,” Dyste said. “Is there any question in any person’s mind that the college has the power to intervene?”

“We understand fully that there is a higher level,” Associated Student President Lynne Blackwell retorted, arguing only college trustees can take such a step--and even then only “if we have not complied with all rules, which have been done 100%.”

“Well, we don’t agree,” Dyste said.

In a nine-page document, officials outlined the reasons they believe Carrasco was wrongly disqualified.

One mistake, administrators say, was in the handling of accusations that Carrasco directed students to linger near polling places with her campaign poster taped to their backpacks--a violation of election rules that ban campaigning within 100 feet of a polling site.

Student investigators failed to interview key people, such as the students with backpacks, administrators say.

Administrators also voiced concern that the student committee was thwarting the will of voters. Of the 647 students who cast votes, 311 voted for Carrasco, 253 cast ballots for Sanchez and 83 voted for Michael Kohli, college officials said.

“More than 300 students in good faith took time from their busy schedules to vote,” Glen Hisayasu, dean of programs and services, said. “I realize that’s less than 5% of students at the college. But all votes are always cherished. . . . The big issue is to preserve the integrity of the democratic process.”

Blackwell, the student body president, in turn questioned why officials never interviewed the three students on the election committee before coming to their conclusion.

“It was a practical issue,” Hisayasu said. “It had to do with timing. We were on a tight time crunch, as we’re finishing up the semester.”

But their planned runoff election may face further complications. Sanchez said she will not participate.

“I do not concur with the administration’s idea of an easy way out by having a runoff election,” Sanchez said, drawing cheers and applause from students. “I do not give my permission for my name to be used on your easy-way-out election.”

On Thursday, the day administrators had hoped to hold a runoff election, Associated Students plan a swearing-in ceremony for Sanchez.

If Sanchez doesn’t participate in a runoff election, Dyste said Carrasco may automatically become president.