The world of NYU school politics just keeps getting more and more interesting.

I was contacted by NYU CAS Students for Accountability in Student Government in regards to a proposed change of the CAS Student Government Constitution that would make it a requirement of all candidates for the CAS Student Council Presidency to have worked within Student Council for three semesters prior to running, and for the Treasurer of the Council, two semesters.

Olutanji Williams, President of NYU CAS Students for Accountability in Student Government, an organization that I had heard nothing of before the Kimmel Occupation, had this to say to NYULocal (after the jump):

“[I] believe that the retroactive implementation of this amendment just two weeks prior to an election is unfair and unjust in the sense that it precludes qualified and capable candidates from running for a popularly elected position based on an arbitrary requirement. Considering the amendment was not introduced three semesters prior to its expected implementation, it is unreasonable to expect that this years(sic) candidates for the CAS Student Council Presidency would have planned in accordance with the newly introduced regulation. Our organization firmly believes that the executive provision is a breach of core democratic values, and a disservice to NYU CAS Students and potential presidential candidates”.

Williams seems to be most worried about the issue of how a requirement for running for office is being implemented a couple weeks before the election for said office is held. We went to Megan Cruz, current President of the CAS Student Council, for an explanation of the group’s proposed amendment.

“Our Executive Board unanimously decided to include such restrictions after realizing the time, knowledge, and dedication that is essential for a student to fulfill the roles of President and Treasurer.”

When asked about whether this was merely an effort to seclude potential officers from outside, popular competition, Cruz explained that “students best suited have already proved their dedication to this Council and its efforts by showing up to weekly meetings and helping to plan our various programs and initiatives…To be honest, this is about ensuring the preservation and continuing success of the Council for the foreseeable future. It’s important that the newly elected President and Treasurer come in with knowledge of the ins and outs of the Council.”

So, the amendment is being voted on tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1^st, at 7:30pm in the Heights Alumni Lounge. If the amendments pass, which Cruz explained looks likely, the amendments will then be added to a new version of the Constitution, which students will have the opportunity to ratify on the same day they elect their new President and Treasurer (and several other positions unaffected by the rule change).

But don’t think that you can run as someone without the three or two semesters of experience in the hopes that the Constitution’s ratification fails on Election Day. The students running for office must first be confirmed for candidacy-eligibility by the CAS Elections Committee, which Cruz explained she was ineligible to be involved in because of her position as President.

So, the real question is what the Elections Committee will do with the applications of students who have no experience with the Council, but would still like to run for one of its two highest offices. If allowed to run, the student’s taking up the office is contingent upon the success or failure of the Constitutional amendment. If they win the vote, but the Constitution is ratified, they would lose their win and the next highest vote-getter, who is qualified under the new rules, would claim the seat.

So, anyone want to try and run for the Presidency and plead their case to the Elections Committee and work for their own election and the rejection of the new Constitution, all in the hopes of helping our faithful readers figure out how in the hell this all works?