To the members, friends, and acquaintances of the 15th Assembly,
For those of you who did not serve in our Central Student Government (CSG) in Fall 2023, several unprecedented moves occurred during this session that have emboldened our advocacy today. For the CSG elections that November, we had two competing ballot referenda: One addressing the October 7th attack on Israel and the other addressing allegations of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Supporters of both referenda, along with all student voters, suffered a violation of their right to a free and fair election. The University of Michigan, led by former President Santa J. Ono, canceled both ballot resolutions while only one day of voting remained. While I was on CSG, our reply condemned this blatant overreach, but we never pursued an appeal or retraction in any tangible way. This set a de facto precedent that, in any election for any reason, the university can cancel vote gathering against any resolution it does not like. I firmly believe that the Winter 2024 election results, which saw a landslide win for the pro-Palestine SHUT IT DOWN party, confirm my hypothesis that the undemocratic referenda cancellations disillusioned many student voters. If we let Fall 2023’s precedent stand, CSG will only “seek to encourage student civic engagement, give voice to student concerns, and enhance student welfare and the Michigan experience for everyone” if it is permitted by the university administration.
To uphold our student freedoms within our CSG elections, I make the following recommendations:
- Establish a Student Representative (Ex-Officio) position on the University of Michigan Board of Regents.
- Demand an immediate retraction of the Fall 2023 Decision.
- Ensure independence in our voting software -OR- switch voting software entirely.
There is no linear path forward to restore CSG’s credibility as a university-wide governing institution. But I know in my heart of hearts, this status quo is untenable. Our right to free and fair elections, without administrative interference, must be protected.
Urgently,
Tyler Fioritto
University of Michigan – Economics (BA) ‘23, Sport Management (MS) ‘27
Views expressed in opinion pieces belong solely to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Michigan Review.
