Graduate Assembly Backs Possible Lawsuit Against University

Graduate Assembly officials unanimously approved a possible lawsuit against

the university Thursday night if negotiations over a ban on spending student

government funds for political campaigns break down.

ASUC leaders are calling for full financial autonomy and for the university to

allow such spending on ballot initiatives, although the university allowed the

assembly to pay back vendors with $31,000 improperly spent on the "No on 54"

campaign three weeks ago.

The decision was a "one-time exception" to the rules and the university

maintains that spending monies on ballot initiative campaigns violates current

university policy, reaffirming authority over student government spending.

Graduate Assembly leaders are angry at what they call an attempt to curtail

their free speech.

"If you limit what someone can spend money on, you are limiting free speech,"

said Graduate Assembly President Jessica Quindel. "If you don't allow the

Graduate Assembly to spend money on Proposition 54, that is limiting our free

speech.

ASUC leaders said that UC policy does not hold up against a series of court

rulings, which they say argue for student governments' financial autonomy from

universities.

Quindel cites ASUC Riverside v. UC Board of Regents, which gives student

governments the right to lobby. However, university policy on student

government lobbying does not include ballot initiative campaigns.

But Quindel said that spending assembly monies on Proposition 54 was an act of

lobbying.

"We define lobbying a certain way and the university claims it differently,"

Quindel said. "Spending money on a political initiative that affects students

is lobbying. As a student government, we should be able to do political

advocacy.

UC Berkeley administrators do not know yet how they will respond to the

assembly's move towards negotiations, but are expected to discuss the matter

next week. Although the administrators thought that making the "one time

exception" would put the university in the clear, Dean of Students Karen

Kenney was

not surprised by the assembly's decision.

"I know the students feel very strongly about the fact that they should have

the right to use their monies to support political causes," Kenney said.

The assembly also wants to fight the university's decision to have

administrators authorize ASUC spending.

If the university does not concede to the assembly's demands, the assembly

will sue, Quindel said.

"As a student government, we are not a social club," Quindel said. "We are

there to be political.

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