GULLEY TO FACE ETHICS HEARING: Student Senate Report 3/14/07
I would like to take this moment to remind you to enjoy your upcoming spring break, because not everyone will. A certain ASUO Senator will be be hard pressed to enjoy his binge-drinking, frolicking-in-the-sun good time, because when he gets back, it’s ETHICS HEARING TIME!
This week’s Senate meeting was supposed to be a low-key little chat about the Rec Center. Because of the recent unpleasantness (more, our coverage), there were other things to talk about. At the top of the meeting, Senate Ombudswoman Natalie Kinsey requested a chance to give a report, and with help from Senators Sherrick and McKenzie, she detailed the charges that Gulley would face in an ethics hearing to be held at the next Senate meeting on April 4th. The concerns that had been brought up to the Ombudswoman are:
- Conflict of interests
- Swearing during Senate meetings
- Unbecoming behavior during Senate meetings
- Defamation of Senate members outside of the public meeting
Kinsey went on to say “I have decided that while Nate, as a citizen of the United States of America, has the freedom of speech and can say what we wants, he has defamed the names of several Senators and breaks rules Senate has established for itself as well as Robert’s Rules of Order.” Kinsey went on to outline the sanctions that the Green Tape Notebook prescribes in such cases:
- Suspension from Student Senate for up to three weeks, with or without pay; and/or
- Loss of stipends for up to one month; and or
- Removal from position as Student Senator officer; and/or
- In severe cases, the Student Senate may forward to the Constitution Court articles of impeachment against the member.
Motions for discipline require 72 hours notice to prepare defenses, but Kinsey will wait until after spring break to bring the motion. “As of now, I believe the best solution would be a suspension from your seat for three weeks without pay,” said Kinsey, “I do not want to see you removed from your position because I believe you add good ideas to this body. However, your actions must be punished, and this seems the most reasonable way to do it.”
Senate went on to debate a new resolution on the SRC situation. They took Senate Bill 28, “gutted and stuffed” it, with language from the Student Rec Center Advisory Board, which Senate altered slightly, then they passed it. I will post the link shortly.
