We are Jeanne Arnold, of the African-American Resource Center; Larry Gross, of the Annenberg School; Howard Lesnick, of the Law School; and Alex Welte, of Graduate Arts and Sciences (Physics). We were appointed by the Chair of the Steering Committee of University Council to assist in resolving a question that had arisen regarding the election of members of the Executive Board of the A-3 Assembly, and are offering to oversee the process by which a democratic election can be held.
Background. The present Constitution of the A-3 Assembly provides for an Executive Board of not more than 20 members, each elected for a two -year term. The term of office of most of the members of the Board has come to a conclusion. There is therefore a need to devise and carry out an election process if the A-3 community is to have continued representation. In order for the A-3 representative on the University Council to be allowed his or her seat this fall, the election must (according to the Council By-laws) be "democratic in principle and practice." Controversies that have arisen during the past year have made it advisable for some "friendly outsiders" to attempt to devise and follow a broadly acceptable process for holding an election. All A-3 employees of the University not covered by a collective bargaining agreement are eligible to vote and run for office in the A-3 Assembly. (NOTE: If you are a union-represented A-3, and receive a copy of this Notice, please ignore it). Once the Board is in place, it will be able to decide what procedures should be written the Assembly's Constitution for the future.
Call for Nominations
We invite any eligible person to nominate one or more A-3s for membership on the Executive Board. You may nominate yourself. If you nominate someone other than yourself, your nomination letter should contain the statement that your candidate has told you that he or she is willing to serve if elected. Nomination letters should identify the name and place of work of the person you nominate, and should include a very brief statement saying why you think he or she would make a good Board member. We might edit statements that are substantially longer than 25 words.
Nominations should be sent by e-mail to hlesnick@oyez.law, or by intramural mail to Howard Lesnick, Law School/6204, no later than Monday, August 11.
Information About the Candidates and the Election
A list of those nominated, with office identification and any supporting statements received, will be published in the first fall issue of Almanac, scheduled to be mailed to all staff on September 2, and also in The Daily Pennsylvanian during that same week. The election will be held about a week later; the notice in Almanac and the D.P. will tell you the date, time and place. Voting will be by secret paper ballot. We will count the ballots, and certify the results.
Publicity: We have mailed this Notice to all A-3s who are on the University's current list. If you know of anyone who might not have seen this notice, please copy it and pass it along.
-- Jeanne Arnold, Larry Gross, Howard Lesnick, Alex Welte