Student leaders decided this week not to impeach the Student Senate vice president.
Student Court found March 5 that Vice President Austin Gipson-Black was not responsible for the impeachment charges brought against him.
Gipson-Black was accused of “dereliction of duty,” relating to the Feb. 26 Senate meeting. Senators claimed Gipson-Black was unable to remain neutral or exercise the required “guidance, direction or control” when he ended the meeting abruptly without allowing for objection from Senators.
Read more about the six charges originally brought against Gipson-Black.
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The Court released an official statement to Student Publications at 1:42 a.m. March 6 after a decision was made. The court thinks Gipson-Black was “within his rights as chair to adjourn the meeting,” according to the statement.
Chief Justice Ellen Roth opened the hearing with a statement saying the charges involving the Student Government Association Code of Conduct were dropped due to an oversight on her part. The charges included failure to “strive for professional excellence.” Roth said she did not realize the oversight until 6:44 p.m. the day of the hearing. At the first violation of the Code of Conduct, the SGA official must have a meeting with the Chief Justice, and only at the second infraction must the offender appear before the court, according to the Code of Conduct.
“With this development, I could not in good faith keep the charge in consideration,” Roth said.
The accused, Gipson-Black, and the complainant, Sen. Beatrize Martinez (law), were then given eight minutes each to present their case.
Gipson-Black supported his case with the SGA Standing Rules and Robert’s Rules of Order, the parliamentary procedures SGA uses to conduct all business.
“I did not do anything that was out of my authority,” he said during the hearing.
Gipson-Black responded to the allegations that he “failed to uphold his duties by abruptly ending the session” by quoting page 240 of Robert’s Rules of Order, 11th edition.
“No motion to adjourn is necessary when the hour has elapsed,” it reads.
He said the Standing Rules state that no meeting can go over an hour, and he was within his rights to end it.
“I did nothing to stop the business of the senate,” he said during the hearing. “I entertained every motion, allowed every second and heard every objection.”
Senators attempted to remove him from office without any due process, Gipson-Black said.
“They attacked and defamed my character,” he said during the hearing.
Martinez made the original charges of impeachment against Gipson-Black following the Feb. 26 meeting.
Many of the issues came from a breakdown in communication and Gipson-Black’s unwillingness to hear out members of SGA, she said during the hearing.
“Senators lost faith that Vice President Gipson-Black would actually speak on the issue after he closed the meeting,” she said. “People believed there was no avenue for discussion.”
Martinez said members of SGA came to her with allegations because they were afraid of retaliation from Gipson-Black if they spoke up. She also said Gipson-Black is abrasive when he doesn’t agree with others, and SGA members were frustrated that their complaints weren’t being heard.
“Just because you don’t see a bruise, doesn’t mean someone isn’t hurt,” she said during the hearing.
Sen. Caleb Evans (athletics) and Sen. Victoria Mayhall (at-large junior) gave witness testimonies during the hearing in support of Martinez’s case.
“The reason that the meeting was adjourned was offensive and reprimandable. He acted in self-preservation, despite numerous objections,” Evans said. “There has never been a stronger united front between senators than calling for his resignation.”
Mayhall said that the senators heard allegations of Gipson-Black creating a hostile work environment during the Feb. 26 meeting.
“With the behavior displayed during the meeting, I did not feel comfortable to speak to him,” she said.
Roth said the court justices were in deliberation for over an hour and a half after the hearing formally ended, and that the final decision was a majority vote.
“It was not rash or quick by any means,” she said.
In an interview with Student Publications, Gipson-Black said he was shocked by the witnesses’ allegations that he doesn’t let people on Student Senate approach him to talk. Gipson-Black said he made himself available to all senators in attendance after the Feb. 26 meeting, but none of them chose to speak to him about the allegations. Sen. KC Curry (religion) wasn’t present at the Feb. 26 meeting but did talk to Gipson-Black after he Facebook messaged her to offer his time, Gipson-Black said.
The justices made the right decision by finding him not guilty of the charge of dereliction of duty, Gipson-Black said.
“It went pretty well, it went how I thought it would,” Gipson-Black said. “I had the right to end the meeting the way I did.”
Gipson-Black said none of Sen. Martinez’s claims were supported by legal documents.
“They just attacked my character and used public opinion to sway the court,” he said.
Gipson-Black also said he decided not to exercise his right to have witnesses during the hearing. Sen. Martinez had five witness statements, two present and three that were submitted and read aloud to the court.
“I didn’t have to count on witness statements,” Gipson-Black said.
Gipson-Black said he thinks the attempts to impeach him are personal because most of the issues brought forth by witnesses were things that have never been brought to his attention.
“I wish it wasn’t personal, and I hope it’s not,” Gipson-Black said. “But I have trouble believing that it’s not.”
Gipson-Black also said there is often miscommunication in Student Senate, and he’s sorry for his part in it.
“I want to very clearly say that I apologize for the lack of communication that led us to where we are,” he said. “Have I fulfilled my duty? Yes, but when it comes to interactions, I want to do better.”
Gipson-Black said he believes all of Student Senate can do better in general because rather than serving the students, they’ve been bogged down by personal vendettas this year.
“We’ve done the bare minimum. We can do better,” he said.
When voting for the next administration, students should elect different and better people, Gipson-Black said.
Martinez said she wasn’t surprised by the verdict based on events of the past year in SGA.
“In order for anything to be really be done, people have to have the courage to speak up,” she said. “That’s where SGA as a whole could improve.”
Martinez said she is working to appeal the hearing which she plans to submit March 8.
“The goal for the appeal is to have some progress made,” she said. “Maybe it makes some changes in how the court decides to run its operations moving forward.”
Martinez said she is not submitting the appeal for personal reasons.
“When people say this is a personal agenda, I kind of laugh, because what could possibly be gained from that?” she sad. “I just hope changes are approved. This is a learning environment for a reason, so I hope that people really reflect and take it seriously.”
Contributing: Editor-in-chief Nicole Waltman.
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