A.S. President Christopher Sweeten has said he plans to push through a petition signed by more than 2,600 UCSD students protesting a nudity ban on Student-Run Television despite opposition from several members of the A.S. Council.

The signatures, gathered by John Muir College senior Steve York, Earl Warren College senior Daniel Watts and several representatives of SRTV, were presented to Sweeten at the Nov. 9 council meeting.

As stated in the A.S. Council’s constitution, a minimum of 10 percent of the student body must sign the petition, which would force a special election within 15 academic days of the document’s submission to the council. The petition could give students the opportunity to vote on whether or not to overturn the council’s decision to ban graphic depictions of nudity on the station and to prohibit York from entering SRTV premises.

However, some councilmembers are questioning the validity of the signatures, which include the student names and colleges, as well as the special election.

“I have a hard time believing 2,600 students want to see Steve York have sex,” former interim Vice President External Samantha Peterson said at the council meeting. York had broadcast a porn with the face of Thurgood Marshall College Senior Senator Kate Pillon, who spoke out against York’s pornography, superimposed on the actress’ face. York maintained that he had the right to broadcast “political” commentary, which he felt his segment reflected.

“We cannot forget what happened to Kate,” Peterson said. “It is not okay. It is not excusable. That’s totally offensive and totally not okay.”

During a Warren College Student Council meeting, several councilmembers, as well as members of the public, threw their support behind the election. Vice President of Academic Affairs Harry Khanna said some senators challenged the validity of the signatures, citing the lack of student identification numbers.

“There is no requirement of PID numbers in the constitution,” Khanna said at the meeting. “The concern is that you can’t verify if they are valid students, but to me, it seems pretty clear that there should be an election. It is our only way to participate directly with the students.”

In an informal poll at the meeting, 31 members of the Warren council and public voted in favor of the special election, with one person voting against it.

Resistance to the election has also come from council leaders. A.S. Student Advocate Travis Silva plans to file a grievance with the A.S. Judicial Board to place a stay on the election Nov. 14, citing harassment and intimidation of students by those distributing the petition. In addition, Silva plans to inquire about the authenticity of the signatures through his grievance.

The plan to file the grievance has drawn the ire of several councilmembers, who are questioning the divisive aspects of Silva’s actions.

“This election needs to happen,” Muir College Council Chair Neil Spears said. “The J-Board way of dealing with it muddles the situation, and adds an extra dimension that we don’t need. There is a serious conflict of interest for Travis, because he’s acting like a district attorney instead of a public defender.”

Silva did not return requests for comment. He also refused to comment publicly or privately on the matter after he announced his motivations for filing the grievance, Spears said.

The first step toward holding a special election would require Sweeten to hire an A.S. elections manager, and applications are currently ready to be distributed. Although it is too early to guarantee that the council can hold the vote by the deadline, Spears said, its importance is too large to ignore.

“If we ignore 2,600 people, we are one step toward a tyrannical government,” he said. “What kind of democratic government ignores its own people? If we do not hold this election, we’ll be completely going down the wrong path. We’ve already been painted as a body that votes on our own morals. Well, what would it look like if we stopped this election?”

In addition, Spears announced that he, along with several other councilmembers, would still push for a referendum to put the vote on the spring ballot if this election is not held.

Readers can contact Charles Nguyen at [email protected].