The clock was ticking for Student Senate’s Committee on Conduct and Discipline to formally discuss a student’s request to have President Nick Southall reviewed that was submitted last Tuesday.
Committee chair Gerrod Schirtzinger said the committee met Tuesday evening — the final day of the five-business day limit in which they could meet. All proceedings are strictly internal unless the committee decides to bring the vote to the general body.
Southall was submitted to the Committee on Conduct and Discipline by senate Vice President Anna Morton on behalf of Bri Adamson, a senior studying health and public advocacy, who expressed her lack of faith in his ability to represent students, a belief that was echoed by a statement from Graduate Student Senate on Monday.
“Graduate Student Senate votes that we have no confidence in President Southall’s ability to represent Student Senate and the Ohio University graduate student body and support all measures to remove him from office,” according to the statement that was unanimously passed.
The “relatively short” deliberation during an executive session of GSS in which the statement was written was a more formal discussion of what some members of the body had been considering for some time, said Joel Newby, president of GSS, who did not take part in the vote.
Newby said he agrees with the statement.
Newby was also one of those called forward in Adamson’s letter of request to speak to Southall’s leadership abilities if asked during the investigation.
“This does affect somebody’s life. We were very concerned with that,” Newby said about the executive session discussion. “We don’t want to hurt anybody, and that was the No. 1 reservation.”
Nonetheless, Newby and other members of GSS felt the statement was necessary.
“As a leadership body on campus, we can’t condone the way things have been going. The job’s not getting done,” said Liz Volpe, vice president for Committees and Legislative Affairs in GSS.
Southall, however, wants to know more of the specifics.
“I respect their decision, I would like to see the details of what they are unhappy with,” Southall said. “If they want to come to me with their complaints, I would like to hear them out.”
By press time, GSS was uncertain whether one of its members would discuss the body’s statement at senate’s general body meeting Wednesday.
“(Student) Senate is supposed to represent all students. Well, we gave (them) the opportunity to represent us and this is what we got,” Newby said.
If the Committee on Conduct and Discipline sees fit after its investigation, senate will move into an executive session, with voting members of the body deciding whether to impeach Southall. Two-thirds of the vote would be needed to remove him from power.
If impeached, Southall would be replaced by Morton as president and Austin LaForest would remain treasurer. Voting members of the body would elect one of their own to serve as vice president.
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