Student Activities and Leadership Programs (SALP) adviser and coordinator Natalee Webb sent two e-mails to several newly elected members of student government yesterday instructing them to resign from their positions due to poor academic standing.
"You have not met the grade requirements laid out in the ASPSU Constitution and will not be able to assume office this year," the first e-mail read, going on to read that the recipient of the e-mail must contact the "…Elections Committee to remove yourself from your senate-elect position."
The first e-mail told the senators-elect that if they do not resign by Friday, Webb would tell the elections committee that they have not met the requirements to take office.
"The language was really strong. The wording suggested that they needed to resign," said ASPSU President Elect Erin Devaney about the first e-mail sent by Webb. "She didn’t outline at all what the appeals process is about."
Devaney and two members of her slate met with Webb yesterday afternoon to discuss concerns about the e-mails. Webb then sent a second round of e-mails that mentioned the students have an option to appeal in writing and discuss the issue with her.
According to the ASPSU constitution, elected members of the student government must be "in good standing, as defined by the University, and to enroll in and complete at least six credit hours each quarter during [their] term of office."
Members of the Devaney/Woon slate, which won the majority of senate seats in the election earlier this month, said that they found the language of the e-mails misleading.
The ASPSU constitution does not require that a student running for office currently be enrolled in any specified number of classes, nor does it say that poor academic performance during one term would preclude a student from holding office in student government.
Good academic standing is defined by the university as maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.00.
Student Senator Amy Connolly said she received an e-mail from Webb Monday, but her cumulative GPA is not below the 2.00 benchmark. Her GPA for Winter Term was below the requirement.
"[The email] said that I needed to resign or talk [senate] Chair [Ryan] Klute," Connolly said.
Connolly could not produce the e-mail she received because she deleted it. The Vanguard received copies of the e-mails received by senator-elect Billy Taylor.
| Email warning
SALP advisor Natalee Webb sent two versions of an e-mail concerning newly elected students’ grades yesterday. The first message requested resignations by Friday. After viewing the 7:56 a.m. version, e-mail recipient Billy Taylor and slate members Erin Devaney and Adas Lis met with Webb around 3 p.m. Webb later issued a second version that advised recipients of their option to appeal.Below is the unedited full text of both e-mails. [Sent 7:56 a.m., March 30 -eds.] Hello! [Sent 3:47 p.m., March 30 -eds.] Hello! I have completed grade checks for Winter of 2005 and according to Banner, you have not met the requirements set out in the Constitution (Article III, Section 5) to assume office June 1, 2005 as a Senator. If you wish to appeal this decision, please do so in writing and set up an appointment with me no later than April 7th to discuss this issue privately. Currently, your records reflect that you do not meet requirements to hold office, so I would need to discuss that with you as soon as possible to understand why and see how to proceed with your current position. If you have further questions, please let me know as soon as possible. |