Expulsions Boost Need To Fill Seats

Seniors John Clark and Andrew Wagner were expelled Oct. 30 due to excessive unexcused absences -- a chronic problem in Congress, student leaders have said.

After any Congress member has been absent from three full Congress or committee meetings, charges can be brought against them if at least three members vote to do so.

The Ethics Committee then considers the charges and decides whether to bring them to a full congressional vote.

David Ruddell, Ethics Committee chairman, said he does not have full attendance records from committee meetings but that there are three people who would be eligible for expulsion from Congress if they miss the next full meeting Nov. 13.

A simple majority of representatives in attendance constitutes a quorum, which is needed to conduct official business.

Before his expulsion, Clark represented District 10, which covers Alderman, McIver, Spencer, Stacy and Graham Residence Halls, and Wagner represented District 21, which includes the area bounded by Columbia Street, West Franklin Street, Jones Ferry Road and the N.C. 54 bypass.

The new expulsions bring the number of empty seats in Congress to 13 out of the total 37. A total of 10 districts at the graduate and undergraduate level are without representation.

Speaker of Congress Mark Townsend said he hopes the special election will fill all empty seats, but he is not optimistic.

"Ideally, I'd like all 37 seats to be filled to represent UNC," Townsend said. "On the other hand, there's nothing I can do if apathy is so rampant."

It is this apathy,Townsend said, that also leads to Congress members' lack of participation and eventual expulsion.

"Usually people decide they want to be involved with Congress but discover that they are not prepared," he said. "You have to devote one night a week to Congress, and we do not have a lot of perks -- it's often tedious and monotonous."

Some students have shown interest in helping fill the large number of vacancies.

Board of Elections Chairwoman Emily Margolis said out of the 10 districts without representation, there is one candidate running in District 9, two candidates running in District 17 and one in District 18. Write-in candidates will have to fill the rest of the seats.

In the event that seats remain open after the election, Townsend said a special election could be held every month until the vacant seats -- and any more that might become vacant -- are filled.

"Even after the first special election, we usually try it again one or two more times," Townsend said.

"People continue to not expect what it takes and entails."

Student Body President Justin Young, who called for the special election Oct. 4, said the lack of involvement in Congress is a major concern.

"With any representative body with seats unfilled, someone's not being represented -- someone's voice is not being heard," Young said.

"When the time comes for the next election, we need to figure out ways to entice people to be involved."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.