Initial results Tuesday of a proposed referendum that could drastically change the structure of student government showed that students would vote on a proposal to abolish Illinois Student Government on Nov. 11, said Student Election Commission chair Jessica Flanigan.

But ISG President Marcia Fuentes refused to issue an executive order Tuesday night to submit a proposal to the SEC that would divide student government into four branches.

The fate of ISG was uncertain as of press time Tuesday night.

In an e-mail obtained by the Daily Illini earlier Tuesday, Fuentes said she was frustrated over how "the process was rushed."

It "really is something that is not ready to be voted on this fall," she said.

Many ISG assembly members reacted in outrage, saying Fuentes took away students' ability to choose how their government should look.

"It was a complete political move that had nothing to do with the student body," said assembly member Andrew Fitzgerald.

Assembly member Sarah Pittenger said she didn't think Fuentes' vote should "override what everyone else wants."

To put up a proposal for referendum, ISG must approve it or 10 percent of the student body — about 4,000 people — must sign a petition supporting it.

ISG assembly members rushed to residence halls, libraries and bars Tuesday evening to gather signatures in support of their proposal, which would divide student government into four branches — legislative, executive, judicial and financial.

"This is the biggest project ISG's ever done: 3900 signatures in six hours," Fitzgerald said.

By 10 p.m. on Tuesday, not enough signatures were gathered.

Many ISG assembly members also frantically tried to reach their colleagues to issue an executive order approving the proposal. The ISG Constitution states that "the executive officers may, by a three-fourths vote by the General Assembly, act on behalf of the organization." As of deadline, 17 assembly members had approved the proposal, but it was unclear what the next step would be.

ISG's reform proposal was presented in a plan last week by the body's Committee on Effectiveness after a year of research. Like the Reform ISG plan, ISG's legislative powers would move to the Student Senate Caucus, pending the approval of the latter body. Committee chair Andrew Erskine said the new judicial and financial branches would ensure accountability and effectiveness, as well as fight corruption — issues ISG critics have expressed concern with in recent years.

ISG assembly members had wanted their proposal to be voted on during fall semester so the new system would take effect at the start of the 2004-2005 school year. In order to make the Tuesday deadline for fall referendums set by the SEC, the proposal had to have been submitted through an executive order by Fuentes.

Fuentes agreed to convene an emergency ISG meeting at noon today.

Meanwhile, a second proposal by the registered student organization Reform ISG appeared to have well over the amount needed, said SEC Chair Jessica Flanigan. However, the signatures wouldn't be officially counted and verified until midnight Thursday, she said.

The Reform ISG proposal would abolish ISG at the end of the school year and transfer legislative power to the Student Senate Caucus, a 50-member body that is part of the Urbana-Champaign Student and Faculty Senate.

Reform ISG members did not return repeated phone calls Tuesday.