Senate Approves Two Graduate Additions to Judicial Council

Following the passage of a Memorandum of Understanding between the ASUC and the Graduate Assembly last spring, two graduate students were confirmed as Judicial Council members at Wednesday’s senate meeting.

Josh Templet, a student at Boalt Hall School of Law and Rachel Smith, who is studying fire ecology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, were both unanimously confirmed by the senate, bringing the total number of graduate students on the council to three.

The new council members were nominated by Graduate Assembly President Joshua Daniels, as the memorandum states that three of the nine members on the council must be graduate students.

After being nominated, the candidates followed the normal confirmation process and were interviewed by the ASUC senate constitutional review committee, which then forwarded two nominees to the senate for approval, said Student Action Senator Jeff Manassero, who is chair of the committee.

“We found that they would be thoughtful and considerate in all cases,” Manassero said. “It was their approach and thought process (that impressed me).”

Both Templet and Smith said one of their first goals on the council would be to clarify the ASUC election bylaws.

“One area worth looking at is the last election cycle; There was a grey area in the laws,” Templet said. “I think it may be worth trying to clarify that.”

Judicial Council Vice Chair Marisa Cuevas said having a total of three graduate students on the council will add to the body’s academic diversity, and that council decisions may have more weight with the support of a law student.

“(Templet) will bring a little bit more legitimacy to our decisions,” she

said. “People may feel a little bit easier knowing that someone knows a little about real law. It makes people more comfortable.”

The Judicial Council currently has all nine seats filled, although the senate is set to consider the impeachment of council chair Sonya Banerjee Wednesday night.

Both Templet and Smith served in the student governments at their previous schools, although both said the ASUC was the largest student organization they will have worked for.

Templet was also a member of the Graduate Assembly but resigned his seat prior to Wednesday's meeting to avoid a conflict of interest.

Smith sat on the judicial body at Everett Community College in Washington, where she was responsible for disciplining faculty and students for academic dishonesty.

She was also an advisor to the judicial branch at Pasadena City College, where she was an adjunct faculty member before coming to UC Berkeley.

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