Ohio University Student Senate Vice President Katie Simpson was removed from office last night after a two-hour executive session debate and student uproar over her impeachment last week.
Simpson said she was shocked by allegations against her. The students do not deserve to have their officials removed from office due to petty charges
she said. Why are a minority of student senate members attempting to overthrow a democracy?
The senate voted 30-1 in favor of removing Simpson from office. President Jamie Walter announced that executives will hold a question and answer session to discuss the closed proceedings today at 12:15 in Baker 327.
Senate Chief of Staff Dustin Torres said everything the senate did was professional; he said senators would have an official comment in the morning.
Several students voiced support for Simpson before the vote took place. Student Josh Wolf accused the senate of not listening to the student populace. If you vote to remove her before you gauge public opinion you and your fellow colleagues will not be doing your job he said.
Other students said they were concerned about rumors that the senate held private executive sessions in which they voted to impeach Simpson, but did not give any information to the student body about the proceedings.
President Jamie Walter confirmed that two-thirds of the senate voted last week to impeach Simpson in a closed executive session. She said the private nature of the meetings ensured that the rights of all students involved would be protected, as written in the senate constitution and bylaws.
We don't want to start rumors
Walter said. The rule is designed to protect the person found guilty and everyone in senate who may have made a report.
Simpson distributed a report from the senate Committee on Conduct and Discipline that found her in violation of five senate rules. According to the report, she allegedly failed to fill vacant senate positions, hold regular commission meetings and provide vital senate information to new members, refused to provide information about the residency of certain senators and attempted to discuss private matters outside of committee meetings.
In her rebuttal, Simpson said she has fulfilled her duties and done nothing to violate the rules and procedures of senate. She said she has tried to fill senate positions and provided lists of all the attempts she made. She also said it is not in her constitutional duties to hold commission meetings. I don't expect to be a baby sitter to commissioners
she said.
To prepare for the school year, Simpson said she worked over the summer to send information to senators and planned a potluck for fall orientation instead of the annual catered meal at the Ohio University Inn. She said the money saved by having a potluck could be better spent on student projects.
As for withholding information, Simpson said certain senators told her they had been harassed by other senators requesting their addresses. I reported to the commission that these students told me where they lived
she said, and she believed they told her the truth. In addition, she said she did not know about the charge until the impeachment hearing.
Simpson said she only wanted to discuss the impeachment process outside of committee meetings when people asked her what was wrong.
The senate's procedure calls into question its policy on closed sessions. The senate bylaws are in conflict with Ohio Sunshine laws, which require public bodies to have open sessions when they make new decisions. Senator Bryan O'Shea said the OU board of trustees oversees the senate bylaws, and the board has not made any demand for the rules to be changed.
O'Shea said the current bylaws have been in place for more than 10 years and are the best way to protect the rights of the defendant and any accusers. We're not bound to make a statement until the process is done
to avoid confusion
O'Shea said.
Torres compared the senate to a jury. Any kind of deciding body
like a jury
isn't allowed to talk about a trial
to protect the privacy of the process
