ASSC accepts election rulings
By PETER WONG Staff Writer
The ASSC Executive Council turned what was intended to be a session for possible action on the Student Court's decision regarding the fall presidential election into a session of minor consequence.
However, the council did pass a motion Wednesday that stated it would abide bv its previous directive to the court to determine controversial issues in the race, and to accept the decisions that were made.
Meanwhile, a request to the Student Court for a rehearing of the case was to be filed by the two top ASSC officers, acting for themselves and not on the council s behalf. (See accompanying story, page 1.)
The emergency meeting was called by Joel Rosenzweig. vice-president for programs and acting ASSC president, who said the council was meeting to consider possible new actions after the court limited the fall presidential race.
Those decisions, announced Tuesday night by Chief Justice Steve Knowles, said the ballot would be limited to those who ran last spring — an election
finally invalidated by President Hubbard — and that write-in votes would be illegal.
Mark Spitzer, independent representative. first suggested that the council clarify the decisions, since the justices did not immediately issue majority and minority opinions.
But Ron Palmieri. senior class president and an ex-justice. said such opinions did not need to be issued at the same time as the decisions.
Several council members — Dave Howe, Jim Lacy and Laura Kotsiris — questioned the basis for an emergency meeting.
Rosenzweig replied that the court was asked to rule on nonconstitutional points, not on constitutional matters, and therefore, the court's decisions were not binding.
This comment opened up a new area for debate, as Lee Blackman, vice-president for academic affairs, explained his actions on behalf of the council in the case.
He said. ‘The council abdicated its authority by saying it would accept the court's advisory opinions regardless of what happened."
What the council should have done was to ask the court for clarification of different options in the election. Blackman said, and then the council should have considered such advice and acted.
He felt the council had no choice now but to abide by the court's decisions.
Howe finally moved that the council abide by its original directive to the court and the subsequent court decisions. His motion was passed. 9-0-2.
Knowles defended the court's reasoning in banning write-in votes, saying that the fall primary was not an ordinary primary.
Before adjournment of the 40-minute meeting. Rosenzweig told the council. “We face a conflict of morality in this situation — we are torn between what is best for the court and the council and what is best for the student body."
After the meeting, the acting president said filing for offices will continue as scheduled.
“I don't want to go to the university (for a solution)," Rosenzweig said. “But I can’t get anything fair from either the court or the council."
MINNES RETURNS — Fred Minnes, ex-ASSC president, was on the scene at yesterday's ASSC meeting and clarified one constitutional point at the request of Joel Rosenzweig, acting ASSC president. DT photo by Tony Korody.
University of Southern California
DAILY • TROJAN
VOL. LXIV NO. 9
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1971
STUDENTS SUBMIT MOTION
Rehearing of elections decision asked
A rehearing of the elections decision rendered by the Student Court Tuesday night was requested in a motion submitted to the court yesterday by Joel Rosenzweig, acting ASSC president, and Lee Blackman, vice president for academic affairs.
In its 4-3 vote on the upcoming fall elections, the court had limited the presidential
election to the original five candidates of last spring's election. It had also decided that write-in candidates would not be allowed.
The motion, submitted after yesterday's ASSC executive council meeting, asked for a rehearing for several reasons
—	the council's concern over the elections, the legal question of the council's authority
to grant the court decisionmaking power, and the legality of the court's decision when adversary parties were not heard before the court.
The court's rules of procedure give the chief justice authority to decide whether or not to rehear a case. Chief Justice Steve Knowles, who voted with the majority in the case, said he doesn't know yet
if he will make the decision himself or consult the court.
Bruce Mitchell, associate justice and author of the court's minority opinion, said, ‘In my opinion, Chief Justice Knowles will sit on the motion, and in effect refuse, without consulting the court, to rehear it. Such an eventuality should totally discredit the integrity of the court."
Another justice who voted with the majority. Don Ramsey, commented that he would like to have the case reheard because he felt additional information could be provided by the Student Behavior Committee. It was that committee which decided last year to invalidate the presidential election.
Mm*
MISSING COED — Laurel Ann Ford, a junior, has been reported missing since Friday. This photo was submitted by her boyfriend and photocopied by DT photographer Doug Cox.
No trace of two juniors
BULLETIN The two missing students were located at approximately 9 last night in Los Angeles. Reportedly they were with members of a religious sect.
Both students disappeared last Friday afternoon: Ms. Ford was last seen by her Russian teacher. Ms. Pavlov, at 1:55 p.m. John Ackerman, Laurel Ann s boyfriend, said that she normally would have returned to her apartment after class.
Ackerman appeared on the Channel 9 news last night to make a plea that anyone who has seen Laurel Ann contact him or the police at once. Channel 9 news turned the story over to all other television stations and newspapers in the area.
Paul Woodward was last seen at approximately 5:30 p.m. after working in the College Library. No clues have been uncovered about his disappearance.
Sergeant Craigmile of the juvenile division's missing persons bureau said that a door-to-door check of the neighborhood was to have been conducted last night.
“We've checked out friends from Chula Vista to Maine," he said. “Right now we re double checking every possibility. We re hoping that somebody on campus can help by giving some kind of information and that's actually the best possibility of a break."
John Lechner of Campus Security said. “The whole case has been turned over to the missing persons bureau. We've checked the entire campus, but there's no more we can do since we can t go off campus."
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LEFT ON HIS DOOR — Lyle Morris, resident advisor on the second floor of Town & Gown, left this note on the dorm room of Paul Woodward, a junior missing since Friday. DT photo by Bruce Bolinger.