A petition to place an opt-out segregated fee system on the Associated Students of Madison ballot in April will face challenges in the ASM Student Judiciary after a decision Tuesday night.
A complaint filed by two students accuses the petitioners of illegal collection methods, multiple referenda on the same petition, mischaracterization of the petition, usage of ASM resources for election purposes and manipulation of petition documents.
UW-Madison senior Joe Laskowski, one of the students who filed the complaint, said one of his main contentions with the petition is that petitioners obtained signatures in the residence halls, which is clearly prohibited under University Housing policy. Also, he cited statements from housefellows and students who said petitioners refused to leave dorms when asked.
\We feel [door to door campaigning] played a substantial part,"" said UW-Madison junior Student Service Finance Committee member Josh Orton, who also filed the complaint.
Laskowski said he thinks many signatures were obtained illegally in dorms or by illegally interrupting university activity in the library, so the Student Judiciary should rule to invalidate the entire petition.
However, ASM Representative Jackie Helmrick, who led the effort to collect signatures, contested that relatively few signatures were obtained from dorm solicitation and petitioners who did engage in this practice left when asked.
Orton said petitioners harassed students who were studying in College Library, but Helmrick said they were within their rights.
""It was made very clear that if [students] were busy to pass them by,"" she said.
Additionally, Helmrick said Director of Libraries Ken Frazier encourages petitioning in UW-Madison libraries.
Another complaint is that petitioners misled students about the purpose of the petition, Laskowski said. He said some petitioners claimed students' signatures would support the 24-hour library, not an opt-out segregated fee system.
Orton also said petitioners altered students' information on the final petition.
However, professional student Angela Frozena said petitioners were merely ""perfecting printed names,"" which is legal.
