UCI Student President Vote Mired in Controversy

Move over, Newt and Bill. Say hi to the folks, Aram and Sasha.

Washington politics have nothing on UC Irvine right now. This month’s election for student president has been overturned, embroiled in an uproar over campaign finance forms and an arcane Election Code that has left the campus equivalents of Congress and the Supreme Court, not to mention the student election commissioner, duking it out.

“It’s a mess,” said Kiersten Robinson, 21, the managing editor of the student newspaper, New University.

“It’s a massive mess,” said her news editor, O’Sama Khouraki, 21, who has covered the intrigue for weeks. Political analysts agree the election was supposed to be a tight race between incumbent Aram Chaparyan, 22, and Sasha Strauss, 21. Both so badly want to be president that they admit it is part of the reason they will spend a fifth full year attending UCI in 1998-99, rather than graduating this June.

Chaparyan, a political science major, is considered a straight-shooter, the one who works the campus in suit and tie, when he’s not sporting the T-shirt of “one of my constituents”--the Latino student club or the Asian student union, for instance.

“I take care of business,” he said. Among his accomplishments: winning a 10% discount at the campus food court for students who sport clothing with UCI’s logo.

Strauss, also a political science major, is an active fraternity leader and wore a giant “Peter the Anteater” costume for three years as mascot for the men’s basketball team. He is more likely to be spotted with his entire body painted in the school’s colors--blue and gold.

“He’s the spirit of UCI,” said Albert Lin, 20. “Attendance shot up at basketball games because of him.”

“It didn’t just shoot up, it went up 800%,” said Strauss, proudly.

But Strauss--the blithe spirit--forgot to file his final campaign finance form until the Saturday before the election on Monday, May 11. To avoid Al Checchi wannabes, UCI presidential candidates are allowed to spend a maximum of $200 on leaflets, posters and other campaign expenses. Student election commissioner Mohammed Cato had made it clear in a meeting for all candidates that he wanted the forms in by the close of business Friday before the election, as had been the custom for years.

“I admit, I did forget to turn it in,” Strauss told student officials hours before the election. His name was stripped from paper and online ballots. The election continued with only Chaparyan’s name on the ballots, although the results have not been released.

It wasn’t the first time Strauss had committed such a political gaffe. In the May 1997 elections, when he ran for the campus equivalent of events chairman, he filed his campaign finance form 15 minutes late. He was allowed to slide on that but was disqualified because he had his mother and grandparents on campus campaigning for him in that election, wearing T-shirts bearing his name --two more violations of UCI’s detailed election code.

But this year Strauss fought back, sparking a tortuous round of hearings, petitions, debate and a ruling Friday that could give him a second chance in a new election.

In a successful appeal before the student Judicial Board, a university version of the Supreme Court, Strauss contended that the finance form actually said “must be filed the day before the election.”

Since the election was Monday, Strauss argued he should have been allowed until Sunday to turn in the form, and so was entitled to run.

The board agreed, calling for a second election.

But Chaparyan, armed with a copy of a university handbook, challenged the board’s decision.

“Someone anonymously turned in a copy of university rules and procedures,” he said. “I have no idea who. But it clearly states that ‘days’ shall mean ‘Monday through Friday.’ Everyone knows that government operates Monday through Friday.”

The Judicial Board considered the new information but ruled Friday to stand behind its earlier decision, pending “legislative reform” of code mandating a six- week waiting period before a special election. There are only four weeks of school left for the year.

“I just want this to be over with,” Chaparyan said. “The executive retreat is supposed to be next weekend. The bottom line is it is the students who will suffer if this isn’t resolved. . . . We need to act on the budget for the next year, and make many other important decisions.”

With 14,000 students paying $54 each, whoever captures the presidency of the Assn. of Students commands a $740,000 budget, mostly to dole out for social events. The president receives a $475 monthly stipend and a travel budget.

Student opinion over the election is divided, and lively, considering how much apathy there has been in years past.

“On the one hand, I feel sorry for the guy [Strauss] who forgot to turn in the form, but rules are rules. If you’re going to be trying to run for president, you should be responsible enough to not only get things in done on time, but early,” said Carisia Francisco, 22, a commuter student who voted over the Internet, the first year such an option has been available.

Ilia Korboukh, 20, said there should be a new election because students lacked a choice on the ballot.

“That wasn’t an election. There should be at least two people running. We deserve a choice,” he said.

No one is quite ready to say what will happen next.

“It’ll be really sad if they keep crying about it and try something else,” said news editor Khouraki. “But everything’s so weird, I wouldn’t want to say what will happen.”