Candidate withdrawals determine ASG elections

Joey Abeyta elected President, Justin Daus elected Vice President in an ASG election lacking opposition and with candidate eligibility concerns.

Mikaela Foehr / News Editor / The USD Vista

After 48 hours of voting, USD students have chosen the Associated Student Government President and Vice President for the 2020-2021 academic year. Juniors Joey Abeyta and Justin Daus stand as the newly elected President and Vice President, respectively.

In an unusual turn of events, by the end of the 48-hour voting window, Abeyta and Daus were each the only ones left in their respective races. 

The students who withdrew their candidacies were Presidential candidate Rowan Parmenter and Vice Presidential candidate Andrew Schneider, both juniors. Parmenter dropped out quietly before the April 15 online debate. Schneider on the other hand, announced publicly on his campaign Instagram account that he had to withdraw because of eligibility issues on April 16.

“I was informed that due to having to take online courses at Mesa College, which still count towards my USD degree, I will no longer be able to serve as a member of ASG Senate,” Schneider posted. “This incident raises questions about the lack of flexibility for all students and true inclusivity at USD.”

The statement referred to Section 1 of Article 8 in the ASG Election Committee Bylaws, and  which states, “All candidates must be currently enrolled at the University of San Diego as a full-time undergraduate student, taking no less than twelve units in the semester in which she/he is a candidate.”

Schneider was in violation of this bylaw because for the spring semester he was enrolled in online courses at Mesa College rather than USD. This was because personal health issues prevented him from being in San Diego, and USD, before COVID-19, did not have any online course offerings. All classes Schneider was taking at Mesa College counted toward his USD graduation. 

Despite these circumstances that seem to put Schneider in violation of the bylaw, the notice that he was to terminate his campaign and be removed as Commuter Senator came as a surprise.

“Members of ASG Leadership and their Advising team knew of my enrollment

circumstances since the end of January,” Schneider said. 

Schneider has also been in frequent communication with the ASG Executive Team and advisors throughout the semester and through his Vice President candidacy and no eligibility concerns were expressed to him.

“At no point in (our) communications were there any indications that my enrollment status put my Senate membership in jeopardy,” Schneider said.

Despite the startling end to his campaign and Senate position, Schneider remains optimistic that he will find other ways to make a difference at USD.

“I am looking into ways to create concrete changes which will improve accessibility and provide access to leadership opportunities at universities across the country for students with disabilities,” Schneider said. “This momentary obstacle will lead to something much bigger than what would have been possible before.”

As for Abeyta and Daus, they each reacted to their unusual election circumstances in their own ways. Abeyta took the opportunity of running unopposed to try and find ways to start connecting with students so he could begin tailoring his goals to them. However, he does not believe that uncontested candidates are the best way to decide student government. 

“While not having an opponent did make it easier for me to get elected, that being said I don’t want this to be a precedent for the future,” Abeyta said. “It is not good for students to not get any choice of elected officials, especially when there are so many diverse experiences on this campus.”

As Daus did not learn of the withdrawal until the voting window had begun, the news did not affect his campaign. However, Daus did express regret that Schneider’s campaign had to end the way it did.

“While I am thankful and humbled to have been elected ASG Vice President, I am both saddened and disappointed by the circumstances that led to my opponent’s withdrawal,” Daus said. “He was a fantastic candidate, and I wish him the best in all his future pursuits.”

As the new Vice President, Daus has expressed similar priorities to Abeyta which supposes a beneficial partnership between the two. Daus emphasized the need to listen to student desires and to get average students more involved in ASG.

Specifically, he is looking to reinstate the College Readership Program (CRP) that was defunded in the Fall 2019 semester, emphasize mental health programs on campus, and prioritize transparency between ASG and the student body. Daus also plans to build on what he has learned and been planning for as Senate Academics Chair.

“My current position in ASG gives me an inclination to the academic issues that students are facing,” Daus said. “I hope to provide a seamless transition between the current initiatives I am working on with my committee and seeing those goals through next year as Vice President.” 

Referencing incidents such as defunding the CRP, the hate crime on campus, and a racially insensitive video showing at an ASG leadership training, Daus hopes to be a force of positive change in his new position.

“I wanted to push forward in ways we can course correct from several of the shortcomings that have occurred during the 2019-2020 school year,” Daus said. “While these incidents happened in isolation, the sheer occurence of any of them can convince anyone that it is okay to inflict harm on others.” 

Compared to Daus’s senate experience, the role of President will be Abeyta’s first position on ASG. However, he believes that bringing an outsider’s perspective could be good for the ASG body. 

“I know that I have not been a part of ASG in the past and that means I have a lot to learn about the legislative logistics,” Abeyta said. “But once I learn the processes I really think that I will be able to help ASG achieve a lot of positive goals.”

Abeyta’s main goal as ASG president is to listen to the concerns of the general student body. This has led him to the expressed intentions of reinstating the CRP and making ASG information more accessible to students. 

“From talking to students, I know that the College Readership Program is an important issue for them so figuring out how to reestablish that is definitely important,” Abeyta said. “And I really want to get the word out to students that (ASG) will listen to them, we are important, and we do affect the everyday lives of the students at the University of San Diego.”

Attempting to hit the ground running in the fall, Abeyta has already started working to discover what various groups on campus are looking for from ASG.

“I’ve already reached out to as many student orgs as I can via Instagram, asking what they would like to see from ASG next year,” Abeyta said. “It is just unfortunate that with this semester being remote I won’t be able to physically meet with student leaders in person until the fall.”

The next step in establishing next year’s ASG governing body will be the appointment of the Executive Committee and the Judiciary Branch. These positions will be filled by Abeyta and Daus in consultation with ASG advisors and chosen from a pool of student applications.