ASB recently publicized three brand new amendments to the ASB Constitution. The three proposed amendments will make changes to ASB’s structure, removing some positions in favor of new ones. 

The first amendment will remove the current Link Crew Commissioner, as space needs to be made for the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Commissioner. 

The second amendment actually creates the position of EDI Commissioner and lists its responsibilities. The proposed EDI Commissioner will serve as a liaison between the EDI committee and ASB and plan EDI-related events. The amendment will take effect during the Spring 2021 elections, as opposed to the first amendment, which will take effect in the following year’s elections.

The third and final amendment will remove the Pep Commissioners and replace them with Spirit Commissioners, who will have broader powers than the Pep Commissioners. Jurisdiction of Pep Squad will fall to the Athletics Commissioner, and the Spirit Commissioners will represent all organizations that aren’t currently represented. Examples of organizations that will fall under their jurisdiction are Apache News, The Arcadia Quill, and Senior Men and Women. The changes proposed by this amendment will take effect after the Spring 2022 elections.

However, before the amendments reach the students for voting, they first had to be written and reviewed by ASB.

“I helped write the language of the amendment itself, though the process of its creation was largely a group effort,” said Senior President Nathan Kuo. “The ASB executive council spent just over two months brainstorming the best possible ways to introduce the EDI Commissioner into ASB.” 

ASB members spent a great deal of time thinking of how to incorporate the position into ASB—whether they should replace an existing position, add an extra executive council member, and what the position itself would entail. 

“My job as vice president is to administrate the election process, such as publicizing the amendments and proposals via social media and on official channels, looking over the written amendment drafts, and creating the official election ballot where students vote on the amendment via Election Runner in student emails,” said Vice President senior Elena Chan.

Now that the amendments have been properly reviewed, ASB has published them and will hold a special election.

When asked about their thoughts on the amendments, both Elena and Nathan had similar opinions. “I think the amendments allow for effective representation more than ever before,” said Nathan. “For many years, ASB has only been affiliated with certain groups on campus, and the introduction of positions like the Spirit Commissioner, would allow student body members to be more in touch with others.”

“The new EDI Commissioner position will be dedicated to inclusive, diverse, and nondiscriminatory practices for our student body,” added Elena. “If the amendment passes during the special election on Mar. 4 and 5, the EDI Commissioner will be elected by the upcoming spring elections in order to make sure there is a position in ASB dedicated towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as promptly as possible.”

However, not all students are happy about the new amendments.

“While I sympathize with the attempt to be closer with students on campus, I vehemently disagree with the Spirit Commissioners’ role as basically being the representatives of other organizations on campus, especially media organizations,” said senior Lawrence Sung. 

Lawrence called the move “contradictory to the democratic nature of ASB” since it was “reminiscent of state corporatism,” as the position of Spirit Commissioner merges third parties into the government. He also expressed his belief that the media and government must remain separate. As an alternative, he suggested that ASB should frequently meet with the unrepresented groups through the Publicity Commissioner or other relevant ASB officials, and to establish a channel of communication where outside organizations could send in their concerns and issues. However, Lawrence agreed that the addition of an EDI Commissioner was a good and necessary move.

Voting to approve the EDI amendment took place on Mar. 4 and 5; it was passed, though the result has not been widely publicized. The other amendments will be voted on during Spring 2021 elections. For now, voting will be open to all grades except seniors. You can read the amendments and learn more here.

Graphic courtesy of Arcadia ASB