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Grievance targets ASUO president
The grievance also questions the validity and timeliness of ASUO elections board appointments
by Robert D'Andrea | News Reporter
A grievance filed with the ASUO Constitution Court yesterday charges President Emily McLain and Vice President Chii-San SunOwen with not fulfilling their duties and requests that they be removed from office.
The grievance, filed by University freshman Caroline Beranek, also asks the court whether work done by the ASUO elections board before members were confirmed by the Student Senate "shall be deemed valid."
Three elections board members were confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 23 and one was confirmed on Feb. 20, 2008. The ASUO constitution states that all members must be confirmed by November 1 of each academic year.
There are additional charges relating to the timeliness of other executive appointments. The grievance lists appointees confirmed between Oct. 2007 and Jan. 2008 to positions that had been vacant since May 2007.
Several of the vacancies were the result of former senators not providing notice that they were graduating and their names were not placed on the spring election ballot.
The ASUO Constitution states that all vacancies must be filled within 30 days. McLain said some of the appointments in question were technically filled within 30 days because Summer Senate cannot confirm appointments, and the positions were filled as soon as the regular Senate reconvened.
"The issues that were brought up in the grievance," McLain said, "are issues that have already been clarified."
Other senate seats were filled as soon as there were qualified applicants, McLain said. The seat representing architecture majors was filled within a week of an architecture major applying, she said.
"Some of the issues were brought up months and months ago, so I'm really confused why this grievance is being brought up several months after the fact," McLain said. "I'm confused as to why a student who wasn't even here is bringing this up. She was a senior in high school in May."
Beranek could not be reached for comment.
McLain said she will send questions and clarifications about the grievance to the court by 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The ASUO Constitution states that the Student Senate "(a)ssume the duties of the ASUO President in the event that the offices of both the ASUO President and the ASUO Vice President become vacant concurrently."
McLain said that most of the grievance does not question SunOwen fulfilling her duties. "I actually don't think the vice president position is threatened at this point in any way," she said.
Senate President Athan Papailiou said he had not heard of the grievance and does not know Beranek.
Last year, then-Senate President Sara Hamilton was removed from Senate by a grievance alleging non-fulfillment of duties. The court ruled it had no other choice.
rdandrea@dailyemerald.com
The grievance, filed by University freshman Caroline Beranek, also asks the court whether work done by the ASUO elections board before members were confirmed by the Student Senate "shall be deemed valid."
Three elections board members were confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 23 and one was confirmed on Feb. 20, 2008. The ASUO constitution states that all members must be confirmed by November 1 of each academic year.
There are additional charges relating to the timeliness of other executive appointments. The grievance lists appointees confirmed between Oct. 2007 and Jan. 2008 to positions that had been vacant since May 2007.
Several of the vacancies were the result of former senators not providing notice that they were graduating and their names were not placed on the spring election ballot.
The ASUO Constitution states that all vacancies must be filled within 30 days. McLain said some of the appointments in question were technically filled within 30 days because Summer Senate cannot confirm appointments, and the positions were filled as soon as the regular Senate reconvened.
"The issues that were brought up in the grievance," McLain said, "are issues that have already been clarified."
Other senate seats were filled as soon as there were qualified applicants, McLain said. The seat representing architecture majors was filled within a week of an architecture major applying, she said.
"Some of the issues were brought up months and months ago, so I'm really confused why this grievance is being brought up several months after the fact," McLain said. "I'm confused as to why a student who wasn't even here is bringing this up. She was a senior in high school in May."
Beranek could not be reached for comment.
McLain said she will send questions and clarifications about the grievance to the court by 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The ASUO Constitution states that the Student Senate "(a)ssume the duties of the ASUO President in the event that the offices of both the ASUO President and the ASUO Vice President become vacant concurrently."
McLain said that most of the grievance does not question SunOwen fulfilling her duties. "I actually don't think the vice president position is threatened at this point in any way," she said.
Senate President Athan Papailiou said he had not heard of the grievance and does not know Beranek.
Last year, then-Senate President Sara Hamilton was removed from Senate by a grievance alleging non-fulfillment of duties. The court ruled it had no other choice.
rdandrea@dailyemerald.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
Concerned Student
posted 3/12/08 @ 3:00 AM PST
Just because rules violations were "clarified", as Mclain claims, they are still rules violations. It's unfortunate to see that when our President faces significant charges of non-compliance, instead of standing up with integrity and being accountable, Mclain used political rhetoric and tried to side-step the issue. (Continued…)
Joseph Conner
posted 3/12/08 @ 3:16 AM PST
I agree with "concerned student" on this one. Emily McLain is not fulfilling her duties and should own up to her responsibilities. If she didn't appoint students to vacant positions then how are we suppose to have a functioning student government that is capable of making decisions and serving the student body? Her dismissal of SunOwen concerns me as well. (Continued…)
Ralph James
posted 3/12/08 @ 7:11 AM PST
It looks to me as if someone is setting this little freshman on a snipe hunt. Anyone who has been paying any attention knows that McLain and SunOwen have worked harder and more transparantly than any executive team in years. (Continued…)
Ford
posted 3/12/08 @ 6:12 PM PST
The precedent set last year with Hamilton was ridiculous. I don't see any serious failure to fulfill duties here, and I don't want to start a legacy of student government figures that can be shot down every elections season just because they made one error in the last year. (Continued…)
HES
posted 3/12/08 @ 8:31 PM PST
In response to Ralph James, it might be worth mentioning that this executive has a history of excluding people with opposing viewpoints. Most memorable, last year she denied interviews to half a dozen candidates for three senate seats (including the former Senate President Hamilton), and this year there's been multiple grumples from the grapevine about students wanting to get involved and not even being called when the position has been filled, and they are left wondering when they will be called for an interview. (Continued…)
Jo-Jo
posted 3/13/08 @ 4:00 AM PST
Rules are rules and too many people are bending them or defining them to death to fit their own agenda. Emily certainly is narrow when it comes to her agenda of trying to revitalize 70s protesting and other silliness on campus. (Continued…)
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