UPDATE: Andy Jones, for personal reasons, has chosen to no longer pursue the UDems' Presidency.
I say pseudo because the news happened this weekend, and I somehow missed it. But Andy Jones, finishing up his second semester term as the University Democrats' PR Director, has decided to run for President. This definitely changes the dynamics of the race a little bit, not just for president but possibly for PR director. Mr. Jones should have a website for his new race before Thanksgiving.
For those of you who care, here's the announcement video:
While this is of little interest to those outside Austin, the elections for University Democrats officers does matter to those politicos who keep track with one of the hardest working organizations in town. Plus, all those Mayoral and City Council candidates will be best off if they make note of these folks headed into next spring's elections.
This list is not final, as nominations are also open the night of the election (December 3rd). A constitutional amendment has also been proposed to rename the PR Director the Communications Director and update the job description.
President: Jimmy Talarico
Vice President: Brittany Dawn McAllister, Melessa Rodriguez
PR Director: Andy Jones
Secretary: Jeremy Yager, Charlie Anderson, Christina Gonzales*
Treasurer: Janette Martinez, Dhvani Shanghvi, Annie Hsieh, Michael Hurta
Events Chair: Alejandra Salinas
Volunteer Coordinator: Thaddeus Scott Woody, Gene Vela
Historian: Megan Forbes, Ishanee Parikh, Michelle White
*Though not officially nominated, has a facebook group and has also announced her candidacy.
The Webmaster is no longer an elected position per constitutional change earlier this year. UDems also unanimously voted in favor of a resolution tonight supporting the efforts of those pushing for Domestic Parter benefits for University employees.
This is always one of the most exciting events here in Austin. Founded back in 2004 in my first semester as a UDems officer when Marcus Ceniceros was President, this even has grown ever sense and is the hallmark event of the year outside of the 24 hour voter registration marathon.
I'll be there tonight (though we'll see if I make it all night, I am getting older, ha).
The University Democrats of UT Austin will be hosting a massive Get out the Vote event to celebrate the opening of Early Voting. The event, known to the students as Voterama, will be held on the West Mall of the University of Texas campus from 8pm until 7am the next morning. Students from all over UT will be playing Democracy Bowl Football, carving pumpkins, making early vote signs, and doing much more to get the campus community energized for early voting.
Members of the Travis County Delegation to the Texas House of Representatives, including Rep. Mark Strama, as well as candidate for State House, Diana Moldanado will be on hand to kick-off the event at 8pm. Voterama will end at 7am when the University Democrats are the first voters in the entire state of Texas to cast their ballots during Early Voting.
Media are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
Who: The award-winning University Democrats of UT Austin
What: VOTERAMA (GOTV All-Night Rally)
When: Sunday, October 19th, 2008, from 8pm to 7am
Where: West Mall (University of Texas Campus-Guadalupe and 22nd St.)
It has been confirmed that cousins Connor and Blake Kincaid will be leaving their political signs up in their dormroom windows in protest of UT's ruling Wednesday evening. Via press communication from the University Democrats, which jointly with College Republicans, opposes this ruling and supports the Kincaids.
These two gentleman did not remove their signs and were asked to appear at hearings today before the Judicial Board today. In seperate hearings, they asserted their right to free speech, and the University Democrats rallied in support of these two right outside the hearing room.
Having refused to comply with an order to remove the signs by 7pm today, these two men have been barred from registering for Spring Classes. Now, they face the possibility of more extensive judicial action, which could culminate in them being expelled from the dorms.
We should start seeing the reports appear online from TV stations across town and papers across Texas. KEYE News reports on the Kincaids' decision and that the ball is now in UT's court.
"At this point, the signs aren't coming down," Connor Kincaid said. "We're going to leave them up and let the university make its next move. And If that means our next move is filing a suit in court, we're ready to do that."
The signs are still standing. Fox News will be broadcasting live at 9pm.
Liveblogging tonight from the University Democrats meeting.
It just opened up with an announcement about the breaking political signcontroversy.
Elise Hu at KVUE appears to have the first story up online about the controversy:
"I think to be able to display political speech in this manner is specifically what the constitution and the First Amendment was designed to protect," said Connor Kincaid, a UT sophomore.
Kincaid and his roommate Blake Kincaid faced a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday afternoon. There, they were both forced with a choice. Take down the signs or their student records would be frozen, barring the students from registering from classes.
"We're confident that our rule is constitutional and that is legal under state and federal law," said Graves.
The roommates, whose father is an attorney, say they may challenge this in court.
"We don't want to make a big deal about these signs, but we're willing to if the university wants to make it a big deal," Kincaid said.
Meanwhile, the University Republicans and the University Democrats are banding together to file a formal complaint with UT over the sign policy.
Word is that Kincaid is going to keep his sign up and the issue will move forward with court challenges. The University Democrats and College Republicans will be filing a joint complaint with the University. With picture of the Come and Take It flag projected behind him, University Democrats president Zack Hall spoke to the issue.
There appears to be the start of a reaction coalition to fight back on the sign front with students placing signs in windows to force more judicial hearings to proceed. This issue will not be dying quietly.
UPDATE by Phillip: Here's a link to the relevant Supreme Court case, Tinker V. Des Moines.
The case involved a student's right to wear an armband to protest the Vietnam War. The key issue in that case was how to resolve a student's right to free speech with a school's right to regulate potentially interfering speech (such as dress). Here's the key quote for why the student's right to free speech was guaranteed:
Our problem involves direct, primary First Amendment rights akin to "pure speech."
The school officials banned and sought to punish petitioners for a silent, passive expression of opinion, unaccompanied by any disorder or disturbance on the part of petitioners. There is here no evidence whatever of petitioners' interference, actual or nascent, with the schools' work or of collision with the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone. Accordingly, this case does not concern speech or action that intrudes upon the work of the schools or the rights of other students.
The line the Court has drawn is pretty clear. Should Kincaid choose to pursue this issue in court -- a deeply, deeply difficult decision to make -- he'd have excellent standing going forward.
The University of Texas has come to an official decision against Connor Kincaid and his roommate regarding their political signs placed on the window of their UT dormitory. They were told that if they do not take down their signs within two hours, they will be barred from registration.
Further, the students were informed that if they refuse to take the signs down after a longer period of time (I believe two weeks), then further judicial action would take place. Further judicial action could possibly even include expulsion from the University. Kincaid and his roommate plan to keep their signs up.
Both students, along with leaders from University Democrats and College Republicans, spent a lot of time talking to the press. The sign of the two students being surrounded by peers holding Obama-Noriega and McCain-Palin signs was simply heartwarming. At least some people here care about the Constitution (both state and national.)
A new argument I heard today from UDems President Zack Hall was that Texas law prohibits Homeowners' Associations from only one action: barring their residents to place political signs in their yards. This situation isn't much different. Hall says he is willing to bring this to the Supreme Court.
Hall also encouraged UT students to place windows on their dorms and "force UT to have a thousand hearings," even if the students comply with the orders. Some students who were there and also a part of other organizations expressed interest in getting even more student organizations involved.
And now a fun fact: as Zack Hall was speaking to cameras in front of a large crowd of students, an Obama-Noriega sign went up in a window up above.
BREAKING: UT has ruled against the students. They have until 7pm to withdraw their signs. If not, they will be barred from registration, effectively being expelled from UT. I'm heading over to be on site (every media station in Austin and beyond is there) though early word is that one of the students may stand firm and either appeal through the University system or take this to court.
In a story that has already garnered statewide attention from the Dallas Morning News, KEYE 42, and of course started here in Austin at the Daily Texan, the University of Texas at Austin appears to be on the verge of issuing on of the most idiotic possible rulings of the political season.
At issue- the critical threat to campus security and "aesthetics" posed by Obama/Noriega and McCain signs on dorm doors and windows. Here's what's currently going on as this post is being written.
Two University of Texas students have been summoned to a judicial "hearing" later this afternoon for refusing to take down a political sign on their dorm room door and window.
At this hearing, officials are expected to impose sanctions on these students. According to the UT Division of Housing and Food Service website, sanctions include writing an "educational essay" or creating a "poster assignment" to "effect a change in behavior and to help the student understand how his or her behavior impacted others in the residence hall community." If the students fail to abide by the sanctions they face possible removal from the residence halls and being barred from school.
I've heard reports from the hearing and it's looking like UT is leaning towards siding against the students. The penalty being considered I'm told is that if they refuse to take down the signs, they will be barred from registering for spring classes.
What really personally outrages me about this is the excuse given by the University.
"It's to control the aesthetics of the University," Jeff Graves, Associate Vice President for Legal Affairs, said. "It's so we're in control of how we're presented to the community. We don't want to have signs plastered everywhere because it would quickly get out of hand."
Having been involved in multiple campus organizations as well as Student Government agencies, I'm aware of the 18-year old "handbook" policy that UT is using to base their argument on and claiming has been "routinely enforced". Of course, I, and every other student on campus, know it is a total farce as that policy is only occasionally enforced (maybe during Student Government elections) and was not enforced to any degree in 2004. And it's also no surprise that the few times UT choses to enforce their "sign" policy tend to be during elections (and only until the last couple of elections have started removing signs in front of the FAC early vote site).
The University of Texas needs to pull the stick out of their collective administrative ass and understand that a campus that had 99.58% turnout on campus in 2004, is in 2008, a student body that contains tremendous political energy. For the first time in a generation (maybe since the late 60's and early 70's when UT put planters in the West Mall to silence and disrupt student organizing), students are hyper engaged in the political system, educating, creating, learning, debating, and developing their worldview. Isn't that the point of a University Education?
Learning - A caring community, all of us students, helping one another grow.
Discovery - Expanding knowledge and human understanding.
Freedom - To seek the truth and express it.
Leadership - The will to excel with integrity and the spirit that nothing is impossible.
Individual Opportunity - Many options, diverse people and ideas; one university.
Responsibility - To serve as a catalyst for positive change in Texas and beyond.
Connor Kincaid, one of the students at the center of this issue had released this statement prior to today's hearing.
Connor Kincaid, University Democrats member and the student at the center of the controversy, argues that the policy is unconstitutional and says the University is unjustified in its actions. "Decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court hold that a student's free speech cannot interfere with their surroundings and that it cannot interfere with the educational process," he said in The Daily Texan yesterday. "How does hanging a sign up in a window interfere with its surroundings or have any affect whatsoever on educating students? I don't know of any classes that meet on sidewalks outside of dorm room windows. Tinker v. Des Moines ruled that wearing an armband to class in order to protest the Vietnam war did not interfere with the educational process, so it is absurd to argue that a piece of cardboard in a window interferes with the learning environment UT offers."
"I am of the opinion that this policy clearly violates the First Amendment and that there is no reasonable justification for restricting a student's right to express their political views in the form of a sign. My roommate and I have decided not to remove our Obama/Noriega signs that were provided to us by the University Democrats and are determined to continue exercising our constitutional rights."
It should be noted, this UT policy is being challenged jointly by the University Democrats and College Republicans.
"There's not a lot of stuff this election season that's uniting Democrats and Republicans," President of the University Democrats, Zack Hall, said.
"But this is one thing we can all come together on and I haven't met one student who's not upset with this policy," former President of the University Republicans, Brandon Lighton, said.
Be careful where you tread UT. Lighting that match could be a bad idea.
FYI: Members of the University Democrats will rally with the signs this evening at their General Meeting at 7:00pm in Gearing Hall 105 on the UT campus (corner of 24th & University Ave). Media are encouraged to attend.
UDems has been busy lately. So here's an update on what we've been up to.
At least 20 student organizations are taking part in "Hook the Vote," a massive voter registration effort, today. To cap the event that UDems helped organize, there will be a rally and last-minute-registration effort from 7 pm to midnight in front of Gregory Gym. The rally will feature appearances and performances by The Ransom Notes, the Pajamas, Colt McCoy, and more.
This past week was in some ways a Diana Maldonado Week. Two weekends ago, UDems blockwalked in Williamson County for the campaign. Then, on Thursday, we held a rally for her as well as a fundraiser -- $400 was raised.
It seems every volunteer event has been consistently strong. Some University Democrats went to Houston this past weekend to help Nick Lampson and Larry Joe Doherty. At least 20 people made the trip.
Finally, University Democrats endorsed a "no" vote on Austin Proposition 2 last week. Seemingly, the idea to keep Austin's Word prevailed with the group, even though there were clearly a few who preferred a strong stance against types of deals as the one with the Domain.
UPDATE:
Oh, and I forgot to mention: Student politicos' efforts to allow campaign signs in dorm windows has reached news beyond Austin.
Last night the University Democrats at UT elected their officers for the Fall 2008 semester. The following are the new officers.
President: Zack C. Hall
Vice President: Jimmy Talarico
P.R. Director: Andy Jones
Secretary: Brittany McAllister
Treasurer: Laura Bloomer
Events Chair: Emma Vernon
Volunteer Coordinator: Thaddeus Woody
Historian: Megan Forbes
President Emeritus: Ben Trotter
(Note: Ben stays President Emeritus because Laura Hernandez is graduating)
Also passed was an amendment to the UDems constitution allowing members to pay their dues less than a week before a vote if they were paying members the previous semester. Two constitutional Amendments failed -- one to create 2 events coordinators for one semester and one to make the office of Webmaster an elected position.
Below the fold are the vote tallies as recorded by Secretary Brittany McAllister.
Congratulations to all elected officers! I wish only the best of luck for the next semester. And for those who ran and lost, I look forward to working with you next semester as UDems leaders outside the officer corps. Whether an officer or not, the University Democrats have a lot of work to do next semester. Effort for the cause will be needed for all of us.
Liveblogging tonight from the University Democrats meeting.
