Redbook Section in Question:

Redbook constitution or Bylaws?: Redbook

Article: 4

Section: 1

Clause: 2

Date:

12/16/2019

Question (Be as specific as possible):

Does the term “college semester credit hours” in the clause equivalent to the term “completed units” or “graded units” on CIS?

Attorney General:

Seodam Kwak

Text Section in Question:

[Under Eligibility]

“The President, Vice President of University Relations, and Vice President of Student Relations must each have completed forty-five (45) college semester credit hours or equivalent prior to the elections filing deadline.”

Interpretation:

The necessity of this interpretation stands on the ambiguity that is present regarding the phrase “college semester credit hours.” First, to resolve this problem, we must consider the original intent behind this clause. The intent behind the forty-five college semester credit hour requirement is to ensure that a candidate has an adequate amount of experience and familiarity of our campus. Hence, the forty-five credit hour requirements shall be considered an empirical way to elucidate one’s cognizance of the university. In case of the CIS terms, “graded units” are defined as the total amount of units attempted, and “completed units” are the amount of units a student has attempted and passed. Considering the two definitions, the term “college semester credit hours” found in Redbook IV § 1 (2), aligns closely with the term graded units. The delineation of the term “college semester credit hours” is encompassing towards all courses that one has taken until the filing deadline. Additionally, as it fails to mention academic accomplishments, it insinuates that all courses, regardless of pass or fail, should be taken into account. Furthermore, academic proficiency is appended by the Redbook, where it states, “[under executive eligibility] earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or greater.” (Redbook IV § 1 (5)).Consequently, it shall be ruled that the term “college semester credit hours” shall be interpreted Attorney General of the Associated Students of the University of Utah as graded units. Therefore, all three members of the executive ticket must have completed forty-five graded units before the filing deadline.