ASSC Chief Justice Steve Knowles (left) swears in the new president (above).
Clemence gets down to business on his first day in office. DT photos by Tony Korody and Tim Rourke.
Kent Clemence's face (upper) shows the tension of a six-month's wait for the ASSC presidential election results as he passes the final minutes in the early morning of Oct. 15 before his victory is announced. His pent-up feelings are then released in a joyous embrace with his brother (lower).
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
VOL. LXIV NO. 24 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1971 LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
Clemence—extended run for presidency pays off
bert Mannes. dean of student life, with a confession of ballot-stuffing.
"Because of the closeness of the primary. I saw a ray of hope in this news, that this admission might change the entire outcome,*’ Clemence said.
He knew the Student Behavior Committee had not involved itself in student elections, “but I had no other recourse. I felt I was tried unjustly—the court failed to recognize the evidence.*'
Therefore, Clemence asked Paul Bloland, vice-president for student affairs who is now on leave, to intercede in the case. Bloland granted jurisdiction to the committee to hear the case an action that was strongly criticized.
A committee panel on April 30 ordered a new primary, and on May 6 President John Hubbard upheld that judgment.
“President Hubbard was sincere and concerned for the association.” Clemence said of his meeting with the president, who was then reviewing the decision.
“He realized the perils of intervention. but he put the welfare of the student body over pressures from other sources and the possible effect of his future working relationships with students.”
Clemence had hoped the council would hold the new primary that spring. The only fair thing to do was to continue the campaign. The ASSC would be worse off with anything else but a designated chief,” he said.
But on May 6, the council postponed the election until the fall, and a second attempt to hold the election in the spring was killed by one vote May 11.
“I didn't expect to see an acting president for more than a week or so.” Clemence said, in reference to Joel Rosenzweig, vice-president for programs who assumed the acting presidency May 1 and served five and one-half months because of the postponement.
“Now I've taken office midway through the term, and my baptism of fire was arduous.” referring to MECHA's demand, for a Student Union office on the Monday after his election.
Clemence expected to be a candidate in the fall election, but not in a one-man race. “The election was a logical extension of everything wrong with the £SSC. But I was elated that it was finally over Oct. 15. and I was deeply relieved to find the campaign tension and pressures were gone." he said.
Now. though, he faces the pressures of office—beginning today with his first council meeting.
By PETER WONG Staff Writer
When Kent Clemence calls the ASSC Executive Council to order at 4 p.m. today, the ASSC will finally have an elected president in the chair.
But before Clemence became president Oct. 15. several dramatic events happened—a confession of ballot-stuffing, the intervention of the university and invalidation of the spring presidential primary, the postponement of the election, an acting presidency of five and
one-half months, a one-man contest in the fall.
In an interview last week, Clemence reviewed the entire election controversy.
”1 watched student government here, and I took its successes and added ideas from other campuses to form my platform.” he said.
“After a tough primary campaign. I knew I'd be in the runoff. and I was elated to find myself there on election night."
But Clemence had seen the ballot-counting procedure going on. “and it was a mess."
Clemence was the apparent second-place finisher in the April 20-21 primary, behind John McGuinness and just ahead of Chuck Jones—pending a recount. When the recount showed that Jones had finished ahead of Clemence and forced him out of the runoff, Clemence said, T just went home and had a good cry."
However. Clemence didn't give up hope, for he planned to challenge the ballot count by appealing to the Student Court. “I had no idea then that I would later appeal to the university."
On April 26, though, the court ruled the primary valid and discounted any irregularities in the count. “At that point I thought it was all over for me, for I expected the court to order a new election." Clemence said.
“But Tom Levyn (then vice-president for programs) told me of my right to appeal to the university."
During the next two weeks of crisis, “I suffered a lack of sleep and felt a tremendous amount of consternation.”
As he left the courtroom. Clemence overheard Jack McNamara, then ASSC independent representative, who said a student was in the office of Ro-