StuCo split: The man behind the plan

StuCo split: The man behind the plan

By Francesca Hansen · The Johns Hopkins News-Letter · December 4, 2003

Only three months after arriving to Hopkins, Freshman Jared Ede has overturned the Student Council. How does it feel for the 18 year old Montanan? "It wasn't a feeling of "I've won the SuperBowl,' but one battle's over. Next," he said.

On the eve of StuCo elections, he is poised to run for Class Senator and to help StuCo reorganize in a transition that he said, "should be very simple." Yet with the referendum, the freshman has drawn both praise and criticism.

"He's never been to a StuCo meeting, and never seen the organization at work,"said senior class representative Lindsay Allen."Anyone can read a constitution, but if you're not at a meeting, you can't know the process," she said.

In reading the Student Council constitution Ede said he found what he called a "parliamentarian" format of the Student Council, stirring memories of a frustrating student government experience back in Hamilton, Montana.

A representative in the Student Government in his freshman and junior year, Ede was part of a blocked initiative to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance in the class room. "It had a lot of support in the student government, and the problem was a select few of executive board members who in one way or another where prohibiting the from achieving our goals. It was deadlocked because a few people at the top didn't like it." he said.

Ede said that he saw parallels between the constitutions in the "deadlock" of his high school government and Hopkins' own council. "I decided to make it more effective, so that didn't happen," he said. Citing examples of the SAC budget crisis and the Freshman elections, Ede said he was disappointed at the developments of the fall. "I didn't see StuCo doing anything to stop it, either," he said.

With an idea for reform in mind, Ede said he looked to the nation's constitution for inspiration. Drawing open the ideologies of the U.S. constitution, Ede stressed that he sought to bring a more democratic system of student government. "It only makes sense that we move towards the form of the U.S. constitution," he said.

Referendum in hand, Ede said he began asking class members and fellow freshmen about the reform. "Some people felt the Parliament system needed to be in place to run government as a business," although he said he was able to amass support. Eventually campaigning at Terrace Court and Wolman for signatures, Ede said he also encountered a number of disillusioned undergrads. "A lot of people had had one negative experience or another and felt that it was time to change."

As for those who may have questioned Ede's age or experience, he responded by saying that anti-freshman sentiment had helped him gather support from his classmates. "A lot of freshmen were upset that they were told they couldn't have an opinion until they had been here for three years."

Yet with a narrow passing of the referendum Tuesday night, Ede said he was surprised. "I wasn't expecting 700 people to know about it." Winning on a five percent margin, Ede said he was disappointed in the narrow victory. As to whether or not there was enough information and time before the vote Ede said, "To vote on it, yes, to get a nice turnout, no."

And with reelections scheduled for early next week, Ede said he has reconsidered his decision to not seek election for the new government. Initially, Ede said " I didn't want to push myself into StuCo." But with his signatures of support turned in last night by 10:00 p.m., Ede is now headed for the ballot. "I talked to some people and they basically felt that it was my duty to help them [StuCo] out," he said.

Allen is among the skeptics of the transition that the elections will bring this spring. "The system that he came upon doesn't work," she said. While Ede recognized his critics, he said that any transition difficulties do not signal a shortcoming in the plan. "At no time should it be an excuse to make this fail," Ede said. He continued, "A lot of the issues I've dealt with are because of a misunderstanding of what the constitution is there to do."

With his new constitution in place, Ede said he has "optimism" for the upcoming semester, and was not overly worried about critics of the new change. "People are finally going to realize that this is a better move and that it will make their lives a lot easier," he said.