Election controversy continued on April 18 when Warren College Student Council president-elect Daniel Watts was disqualified from the 2003 elections by the Earl Warren College Judicial Board for violating election bylaws.
Warren student Crystal Kitamura filed a grievance against Watts after she viewed Watts campaigning on his Warren College Television show “”Perfect Vision.”” She argued at the April 16 hearing that Watts’ campaigning on WCTV violated article IV, section B.2.j of the Warren College Election bylaws, in which it states that “”no candidate shall use Warren College offices, services, enterprises or equipment to advocate candidates.””
“”We do feel that Daniel Watts very clearly used his television show to promote himself,”” said Erik Smith, counsel for Kitamura. “”His television show is on WCTV, which is a Warren College enterprise, and it’s owned by Warren College. This makes it a Warren College facility.””
Kitamura added to Smith’s claims.
“”I felt … after reading the bylaws and especially the one that’s in question at this moment, [Watts’ WCTV show] was a violation of that bylaw,”” Kitamura said.
Watts and his counsel, Robert Forouzandeh, objected outright to the hearing, claiming it should be dismissed because evidence was not presented to him a day before the hearing, as mandated in the election bylaws.
In addition, new evidence was added against Watts that day, which also violated procedural bylaws.
The judicial board, however, refused to dismiss the case, and the hearing went on.
Forouzandeh and Watts argued that “”Perfect Vision”” is an editorial, making it exempt from the campaign bylaws.
“”The A.S. bylaws specifically exempt ASUCSD-funded media organization editorials from the general bylaw restrictions with campaigning with ASUCSD funds,”” Forouzandeh said. “”Warren’s bylaws were clearly based on ASUCSD bylaws.””
In addition, Forouzandeh argued that WCTV is not a service of Warren College, and thus its equipment is not property of Warren college.
“”[WCTV] is a Residential Life service and most of the funding come from Residential Life,”” Forouzandeh said.
Watts also said that Residential Life and the college television stations are funded separately from the colleges.
“”They are funded through Housing and Dining Services, which is a separate entity from Warren College,”” Watts said. “”Residential Life is funded by Housing and Dining. That is an all-campus identity. Clearly, something that comes to all the colleges can’t be Warren College [property].””
The Warren College Judicial Board deliberated before releasing their findings, when in a three-to-one vote, they ruled in favor of Kitamura.
Watts was then disqualified from the election.
The majority opinion of the judicial board felt that WCTV is part of the Warren College services and equipment.
Watts plans to appeal the case on many different grounds, behind feelings that Kitamura did not follow the bylaws in presenting evidence, the judicial board did not follow proper procedure and bylaws in hearing the case, and that members of the judicial board had “”outright bias”” against him.
[Ed. Note: Daniel Watts is the associate opinion editor for the UCSD Guardian.]
