Referenda
Want to propose a referendum for the Spring 2025 Election? Fill out this form Please email the completed form to [email protected] by February 14th, 2025.
SPRING 2025 UNIVERSITY-WIDE REFERENDA
Referendum 1: University Guide Service Referendum
Proposed Title:
University Guide Service Referendum
Sponsors:
Davis Taliaferro, Ella Sher, Jack Giese, Asian Student Union (ASU), Minority Rights Coalition (MRC), Native American Student Union (NASU), Political Latinxs United for Movement and Action in Society (PLUMAS), Queer Student Union (QSU), UVa Dissenters
Proposed Explanation:
This referendum seeks to uphold the initiative of student self-governance by calling on the University administration to center student voices and perspectives through reinstating and protecting student-led and written historical tours of the University. This referendum affirms the student body’s support for public history by condemning the University’s recent actions regarding public history and calling for more transparency from the administration.
Proposed Language:
WHEREAS: The University of Virginia, in its Statements on Free Expression and Free Inquiry, established free speech as “among the most powerful tools by which wrongs are righted and institutions are improved or abolished.” Further, the University establishes that “Principles of free inquiry extend to robust discussion and critical examination of the past;” AND,
WHEREAS: The University Guide Service has been delegated by the University in their Delegated Functions Agreement to “provide historical and admission tours” and to “educate prospective students, families, and tourists on the tour guide’s authentic student experience and the University’s history.” Furthermore, the University “delegates these functions with the intent of fostering student self- governance and promoting a sense of unity and cohesion among students;” AND,
WHEREAS: The Office of the Provost abruptly suspended student-led historical tours of the Academical Village until at least Fall 2025, without further information of when or how tours will return, nor without thorough communication with the University Guide Service chairs. This has left a general body of over 100 individuals unclear about the future of tour-giving and their role as tour guides; AND,
WHEREAS: Following the Unite the Right White Supremacist Rally that occurred on University grounds in August of 2017, President Teresa Sullivan launched her President’s Commission on Slavery and the University which sought to create a meaningful dialogue about slavery at UVA in the wake of white supremacist and racial violence. The Commission advocated for “reinscribing this previously hidden history back onto the built landscape, making it visible in multiple formats (signage, interpretive panels, maps, tours, digital media, print, classes).” By effectively limiting UGS tours on grounds, UVA works against the goals of this commission and the progress it hoped to inspire; AND,
WHEREAS: Student activism at the University of Virginia has historically been a driving force in bringing UVA closer to full acknowledgment and discussion of its complex past. The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers which honors the lives of over 4000 enslaved people who labored at the University of Virginia from 1817 to 1865 was designed to address previously ignored history, as well as represent a space for healing, learning, and action. This pivotal feature of UVA’s grounds is the culmination of students’ ideas and voices, particularly as the idea for such a memorial originated from the UVA student group Memorial for Enslaved Laborers (MEL), established in 2009; AND,
WHEREAS: UVA is a UNESCO World Heritage site currently offering no in-person tours of the Rotunda or Academical Village. UNESCO, as part of its mission, aims to “encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural heritage.” By lacking avenues for tourists and students to engage with the rich past of the Academical Village, The University of Virginia fails to further this mission; AND,
WHEREAS Any institution, such as the University of Virginia, no matter how evolved, will inevitably be biased in its own favor when crafting historical tours. Instead, community-based groups, including but not limited to the University Guide Service, serve as an effective means to crafting democratic public history and truthful storytelling of the past; THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED That the student body explicitly condemns the University administration’s recent actions towards the University Guide Service as directly opposed to the student body’s core values, whichprioritize active discussion of the University’s past. In particular, the student body cares deeply about the histories of marginalized and underrepresented communities, including but not limited to the history of enslavement and enslaved people, as well as the University’s role in the eugenics movement, and sees the University’s actions as limiting the accessibility of that information ; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED That the student body calls for the University administration to recognize autonomous, student-led historical tours as an essential mechanism in preserving and spreading the full history of the University; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED That the student body calls for the administration to amend itself to open and honest communication with the University Guide Service along with the general student body about its decisions regarding public history; and that the administration should act particularly diligently in sharing changes in policy and their causes; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED The student body calls for the University Guide Service to continue in its mission of sharing an honest and complete account of the University’s history, and calls for student-led organizations to support the University Guide Service’s endeavors wherever possible; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED That the student body calls for the immediate reinstatement of the University Guide Service as the primary provider of historical tours on behalf of the University, and for the written protection of these student-led in-person tours by the University administration; it calls for the University to continue funding and publicizing of the University Guide Service, giving members full autonomy overtheir tours and their organization; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED That a copy of this resolution be sent to
The Board of Visitors
James E. Ryan, President of the University of Virginia
Ian Baucom, Executive Vice President and Provost
Brie Gertler, Incoming Interim Executive Vice President and Provost
Kenyon Bonner, Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer
Cedric Rucker, Dean of Students
NOTE:
This referendum requires 950 signatures to be placed on the ballot.
Referendum 2: Student Council Referendum
Proposed Title:
Amendment to the Student Council Constitution to Establish a Student-Athlete Representative Position
Sponsors:
Student Council
Proposed Language:
Shall the Constitution of the University of Virginia Student Council be amended to create a Student-Athlete Representative position by modifying Article II, Section II, Clause C; Article II, Section II, Clause D; and Article III, Section II to include provisions for the representation, election, and apportionment of student-athletes within the Student Council Representative Body?
If enacted, the Constitution of the University of Virginia Student Council will read as follows (bolded text references additions):
Article II, Section II, Clause C: At least one Representative shall be an entering undergraduate first-year student, at least one shall be an entering undergraduate transfer student, at least one shall be an undergraduate international student, at least one shall be a graduate international student, and at least one shall be a student-athlete, as follows:
a. Each School may reserve one of its Representative seats for an entering undergraduate first-year student, for every one-thousand such students enrolled in that School.
b. Each School may reserve one of its Representative seats for an entering undergraduate transfer student, for every one-thousand such students enrolled in that School.
c. Each School may reserve one of its Representative seats for an undergraduate international student, for every one-
thousand such students enrolled in that School.
d. Each School may reserve one of its Representative seats for a graduate international student, for every one-thousand such students enrolled in that School.
e. Each School may reserve one of its Representative seats for a student-athlete, for every one-thousand
such students enrolled in that School.
f. If no School reserves at least one seat for an entering first-year undergraduate, at least one seat for an entering transfer undergraduate, at least one seat for an undergraduate international student, at least one seat for a graduate international student, and at least one seat for a student-athlete, then one or more special seats unaffiliated with any School shall be allocated to the group lacking representation, according to their total enrollment.
Article II, Section II, Clause D: The following rules shall govern the apportionment of Representative seats:
a. Barring extraordinary circumstances, only students enrolled on-Grounds at the University or in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies shall be counted towards the apportionment of Representative seats.
b. All Representative seats, including first-year, international student, student-athlete, and transfer seats, shall be apportioned using the enrollment figures from the previous fall semester.
c. Changes to the apportionment of seats shall not take effect until a new Representative Body is elected.
Article III, Section II: Section 2: Elections
A. The University Board of Elections or its successor body shall have the power to regulate Student Council elections.
B. Elections for Officers and School Representatives shall take place annually in the spring semester. Elections for first-year, international student, student-athlete, and transfer seats shall take place annually in the fall semester.
C. During spring elections, the President, Vice-President for Administration, and Vice-President for Organizations shall be elected by the Student Body at large; School Representatives shall be elected by the students enrolled in each School; first-year, international student, student-athlete, and transfer Representatives shall be elected by the respective body of such students.
D. Barring extraordinary circumstances, only students enrolled in classes on-Grounds at the University of Virginia or in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies shall be eligible to vote in elections.
Definition of Student-Athlete: For the purposes of this amendment to the Constitution of the
University of Virginia Student Council, “student-athlete” shall be defined as: “any currently enrolled
student at the University of Virginia who is an active member of a varsity athletic team recognized by
the University's Department of Athletics and governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA).”
NOTE:
This referendum was passed by the Student Council Representative Body pursuant to the requirements in their governing documents. Pursuant to the UBE's Election Rules, petition signatures are not required for this measure to be listed on the ballot.
Referendum 3: University Judiciary Committee Referendum #1
Proposed Title:
An Amendment to Reapportion the Number of Judiciary Representatives to Match Respective School Populations and to Guarantee Proportional Representation of Graduate and Undergraduate Representatives on the University Judiciary Committee.
Sponsors:
University Judiciary Committee
Proposed Language:
Strike “five” (5) and replace with “eight (8)” before the word “representatives” and after “composed of,” in the first line of Article V Section A of the UJC Constitution. Add “, three (3) representatives from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,” before the word “and” and after “Sciences” in the second line of Article V Section A of the UJC Constitution. Add “The Judiciary Committee shall review the student populations of the various schools of the University every four (4) years or as reasonable at the discretion of the Chair. Based on the results of this review, the Committee shall adjust the proportional allocation of elected representatives to ensure fair and equitable representation. Each school shall be allocated no fewer than two (2) representatives, with one (1) additional representative allocated for every additional 1,500 students enrolled above 1,500 students.
1. Whereby a school contains both undergraduate and graduate student populations, representation from said school should be allocated proportionally to the relative number of graduate and undergraduate students.
2. Adjustments to the allocation must be proposed during the Fall election cycle. Representatives will be eligible to fill new or additional spots in the Spring election cycle.”after the word “University”.
If enacted, the Constitution of the University Judiciary Committee will read as follows (bolded text references additions):
ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP
The Judiciary Committee shall be composed of eight (8) representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, three (3) representatives from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and two (2) representatives from each of the other separate schools of the University. The Judiciary Committee shall review the student populations of the various schools of the University every four (4) years or as reasonable at the discretion of the Chair. Based on the results of this review, the Committee shall adjust the proportional allocation of elected representatives to ensure fair and equitable representation. Each school shall be allocated no fewer than two (2) representatives, with one (1) additional representative allocated for every additional 1,500 students enrolled above 1,500 students.
1. Whereby a school contains both undergraduate and graduate student populations, representation from said school should be allocated proportionally to the relative number of graduate and undergraduate students.
2. Adjustments to the allocation must be proposed during the Fall election cycle. Representatives will be eligible to fill new or additional spots in the Spring election cycle.
NOTE:
This referendum was passed by the University Judiciary Committee Representative Body pursuant to the requirements in their governing documents. Pursuant to the UBE's Election Rules, petition signatures are not required for this measure to be listed on the ballot.
Referendum 4: University Judiciary Committee Referendum #2
Proposed Title:
An Amendment to Extend the University Judiciary Committee Statute of Limitations from 45 Days to 90 Days.
Sponsors:
University Judiciary Committee
Proposed Language:
Strike “45” and replace with “90” (8) before the word “within" and after “calendar days,” in the first line of Article III Section A Subsection 1 of the UJC Constitution.)
If enacted, the Constitution of the University Judiciary Committee will read as follows (bolded text references additions):
ARTICLE III: POWERS
A. The Judiciary Committee shall investigate and hear all complaints referred or appealed to it in order to determine whether the accused is guilty of student misconduct as defined by University authorities.
1. Complaints must be filed with the Committee within 90 calendar days of the time the complainant first knew or should have known the identity of the alleged offender.
NOTE:
This referendum was passed by the University Judiciary Committee Representative Body pursuant to the requirements in their governing documents. Pursuant to the UBE's Election Rules, petition signatures are not required for this measure to be listed on the ballot.
Referendum 5: Class Council Constitution Referenda
The last time a constitution for the Class Councils was amended was in 2016, and in the case of the Second-Year Council has not been amended once since 2002. The changes proposed to these constitutions are steps towards modernizing UVA’s oldest form of student government. The new constitution adds a preamble that clearly defines the role of the Class Councils in our system of student self-governance. The substantive changes being proposed are listed here; Class Councils are no longer capped at a specific number of students; the President and Vice President can appoint the number of members they see as necessary so long as that number does not surpass two percent of the total number of students in the Class; Each undergraduate school is now guaranteed representation on the Class Councils so long as they have fifty students in that class year; The Vice-President is relieved of their financial responsibilities; The position of Class Treasurer is formally created; President and Vice President have the authority to create their own committees instead of our constitution mandating certain committees; The process for removing an officer or member from office has been standardized, it requires a four-fifths vote to remove any member or officer; Now if the office of Class Vice President is vacant the President can appoint a new Vice President; If both the offices of President and Vice President are vacant, the Council will elect a President; Future changes to these constitutions must be approved by the student-body and all constitutions can now be amended by petition.
*NOTE: each class will vote on their own class council constitution. Current first years will vote on the First Year Class Council Constitution, current second years will vote on the Second-Year Class Council Constitution, etc. This is pursuant to current Class Council Constitutions which require the current class to vote on amendments or changes to the constitutions*
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Definition, Ratification and Voter Information:
- Per the UBE’s Rules & Regulations, a referendum is “a question that has been certified to appear on an official ballot in an election administered by the University Board of Elections pursuant to these rules and the qualifications established by the constitution of the relevant student governing body, if applicable.”
- An amendment to the Student Council Constitution must be ratified by two-thirds of those students voting in a referendum election.
- An amendment to the Honor Committee Constitution must be ratified by three-fifths of students voting in a referendum election, provided that at least ten percent (10%) of the entire eligible voting population has voted in favor of such an amendment.
- An amendment to the University Judiciary Committee Constitution must be ratified by two-thirds of the students voting in a referendum election, provided that at least ten percent (10%) of the entire eligible voting population has voted in favor of such an amendment.
- An amendment to the University Board of Elections Constitution must be ratified by a majority of those students voting in a referendum election.
- For more information regarding University referendum, please consult Article III, Section 5 of the UBE’s Rules & Regulations, found here.
- Voters may exit out of the ballot before voting on the proposed referenda. Votes for the other elected offices will be saved. Voters may return to the ballot at any time within the voting period. Voting on the proposed referenda is optional – voters may choose to vote on some, all, or none.
Important Referenda Information:
Please refer to the University Board of Elections Rules and Regulations for information regarding student referenda. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
Individuals or organizations seeking the certification of a question to be a referendum item must submit a petition pursuant to these rules:
- A petition for a referendum on a non-binding question of opinion to be put to the entire student body shall be made on a form provided by the UBE and shall be signed by not less than 950 students.
- A petition for a referendum on a non-binding question of opinion to a particular school or undergraduate class must be signed by five percent (5%) of full-time students in that particular school or class. Individuals or organizations collecting school or class referendum petitions should request that the UBE provide them a signature minimum based on up-to-date enrollment figures.
- A petition for a referendum on a binding constitutional amendment to be put to the entire student body shall be made on a form provided by the UBE and shall be signed by a number of students governed by the requirements established in the existing constitutions of the governing body for which the amendment applies; the specific number, when set as a percentage of a student population, will be determined by the governing body using the previous semester’s enrollment numbers. If the constitution of the governing body does not specify a required number of signatures, the University Board of Elections shall require a petition signed by no less than 1,250 students.
Referenda Process Steps:
- Download and complete the Referenda Proposal (see the top of the page).
- Submit the completed proposal by email to [email protected] from your U.Va. email address by February 14th at 4pm.
- After the UBE and General Counsel reviews the proposals, the proposed text will be posted on the UBE's website to allow for any procedural objections to be made to sponsorship and text. 72 hours after the posting of the text on the UBE's website, petition signature collection will begin. The required number of petition signatures must be gathered by February 20th at noon.
The UBE will not reject any properly submitted referendum proposal based on content except in special circumstances; the purpose of the proposal submission is to verify sponsor and referendum information.
Constitutional Amendments:
For referenda that affect the constitutions of the Honor Committee, University Judiciary Committee, Student Council, School Councils, or Class Councils, the UBE strongly recommends that you work with the Office of the Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer to help you with the text of the referendum to ensure its legality. While the UBE may not remove referenda from the ballot if a proposed constitutional amendment might be illegal, an amendment with questionable legality may not be approved by the Board of Visitors, even if passed by the student body. The UBE would like to prevent these sorts of situations as they can confuse and upset the student body and reflect poorly on all involved.