Should the new Baylor Student Body Constitution be ratified this Thursday via online voting, student officer elections will take place on April 7 and 8 instead of Diadeloso, which is on April 12 this year.
In the past, these elections have been held every “Day of the Bear,” but this has traditionally left student government little time to transition roles and complete formalities before the end of the school year.
“The timeline for elections presented in the new constitution allows enough time for elections, runoffs and swearing in of all newly elected positions to take place before the end of the academic year, no matter where Dia falls on the university calendar,” said Port Barre, La., junior and Student Body Internal Vice President and President of Student Senate, Lindsey Bacque.
Creating changes for the new constitution has been a work in progress for several months now. The Governing Documents Revision Committee, led by Waco , senior, Daniel Pellegrin, originally re-wrote the document for clarity and consistency with regard to election dates and more.
“Previously, the old constitution contained numerous errors, oversights, ambiguities and contradictions. These made the day-to-day operations of student government very difficult, and as a result, student government could not effectively work for the students. Now, under the new document, student government has the necessary procedures and foundation to represent the students better,” Pellegrin said.
After it was drafted, the newly written version was sent to the student Senate Operations & Procedures Committee, where it was extensively reviewed and edited. Following the O&P Committee permitting the new draft, Student Senate passed as well. In order to take effect, however, the constitution must be ratified, on Thursday by the student body.
Filing for candidates who wish to run for Senate seats and class officer positions is ongoing from now until March 30. For those already in student government looking to run for president, internal and external vice president applications must be filed by March 21.
