Correction appended
A majority of students said yesterday that the USG presidential candidates' disciplinary records are relevant to them as voters. A similar number, however, said they didn't know which of the two candidates' records concerned them more.
Fifty-six percent of students said the candidates' records were relevant, while 34 percent said they weren't and nine percent didn't know, according to an unscientific poll of 416 students conducted by The Daily Princetonian last night.
Between the two candidates, 30 percent of respondents said they were more concerned by Grant Gittlin '08's record. Fourteen percent of students said they were concerned more by the record of Rob Biederman '08, while 53 percent didn't know.
Debate over the relevance of a candidate's disciplinary record emerged last week, when a student at the USG presidential forum asked Gittlin, the current Class of 2008 president, whether his disciplinary record would negatively affect his relationship with the administration.
Gittlin admitted at the forum that he has received three violations from the Committee on Discipline and, as a result, lives off campus. Each of the violations was later shown to involve alcohol. Gittlin added afterwards that he doesn't believe his record will negatively affect his relationship with the administration.
One day after Gittlin's revelation, under pressure to explain his own record, Biederman, the current USG vice president, admitted that last year he watched as a friend poured lighter fluid on a dead squirrel and set the carcass on fire.
At the debate last Wednesday, Gittlin said that "people have every right to judge my violations." He reiterated that stance in an interview yesterday.
Biederman said he regretted that students appear to be factoring disciplinary records into their voting decisions. "I do think it has become an issue in how people are voting," he said. "And I think that's really unfortunate."
Charles Stone '07, who hadn't yet voted when he was interviewed last night, said he found both candidates' disciplinary records to be "reasonably serious" and that he wosuld "try and find out if there is a lesser of two evils."
"Burning a squirrel is kind of Columbine-esque," Stone said, adding that "getting kicked off campus is pretty serious as well."
But not all students said disciplinary records mattered to them. "[A candidate's record] alone doesn't sway me," Seth Blumberg '08 said. "I would judge the people based on the things they've done."
Past USG presidents were divided on whether candidates' disciplinary records should factor into voters' decisions and on whether run-ins with administrators would affect Gittlin's or Biederman's ability to lead student government effectively.
"It probably wouldn't affect his ability to be an effective USG president in this case," Alex Lenahan '07, the current USG president, said of Gittlin. "It sounds like he continues to have a good relationship with administrators."
"I trust him when he says that he talked with administrators and [his disciplinary record] wouldn't be an issue," Lenahan added.
"Obviously living on campus is more ideal," Lenahan said, "but in the case of Grant, I would trust him to be on campus enough and pay enough attention to student concerns for it not to be an issue."
Matt Margolin '05, USG president from 2004-05, agreed with Lenahan. "It's not like the kid lives in California," he said. "He's still probably closer than Forbes."
Leslie-Bernard Joseph '06, the USG president in 2005-06, stressed that "what matters to me is [the candidate's] capacity to head the USG," not a candidate's disciplinary or personal issues.
Both candidates have included reform of the disciplinary system in their platforms, though Gittlin has made it a cornerstone of his campaign.
In his campaign documents, Gittlin strongly criticizes the current system.
"Right now students are being abused by the [Residential College Disciplinary Board] and the Deans in charge of Discipline for upperclassmen," Gittlin says on his website. "They are being lied to, cheated of their rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and punished harshly and unfairly without any viable means for appeal."
Gittlin said he would like to codify formal rules for student treatment, create a Student Bill of Rights and form an advisory group of students to represent and advise their classmates when they are brought before University disciplinary bodies.
"Both my personal experience and that of others have shaped my desire to inform students of their rights and protect them under these rights," Gittlin said in an interview yesterday.
Biederman said he agreed with Gittlin that "the system should be more transparent." He added, however, that he has not focused his campaign on the issue of disciplinary reform. "I don't think I would be as extreme as Grant in criticizing the policy," he said.
This article includes reporting by Princetonian senior writer Arielle Gorin.
Correction
The original version of this story incorrectly reported that a recent USG president admitted to having a disciplinary records.Read More
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