Pending impeachment charges

While elections for the Student Government Association are drawing to an end, controversy continues within the current administration. The Judicial Board has brought impeachment charges against Judicial Associate Justice Tsion Tesfaye.

This is the first time impeachment charges have been brought against a member of the SGA, according to Chief Justice Kadie Chandler.

According to a letter sent from the Judicial Board to the Senate, charges include repeated absences from Judicial meetings and hearings by the board and the University Honor Council. Charges also cite a lack of preparedness for hearings, not responding to e-mails requiring Judicial action, and lack of input and attendance to the Constitutional Reform Committee.

The letter states Tesfaye attributes her lack of attendance to her participation in Capitol Semester, a combined state government internship and policy-making course. However, the Judicial Board said Tesfaye’s attendance was an issue before Capitol Semester began.

The letter also cites a specific event where Tesfaye notified Legislative chair Joshua Ronk via cell phone, of a decision made by the Judicial board.

The SGA constitution states, “All Judicial Branch interpretations, rulings, and decisions shall be in writing and shall be made available to the student body.”

Tesfaye declined to comment to The Commonwealth Times having decided to wait until after the proceedings.

According to Chandler, Tesfaye was given the opportunity to resign, which she originally accepted on March 16 before withdrawing her acceptance on March 20. This led the Judicial Board to proceed with the impeachment.

Judicial Deputy Chief Justice Joshua Maye said the impeachment charges were necessary.

“A unanimous decision is based on how we all personally felt,” Maye said. Although the issue has not been officially placed on the Senate agenda, Chandler said she believes that it will.

Chandler said she hopes the senators will make their decision based on facts. According to Chandler, Vice President Raymond Barefoot told her that there was no chance that the charges would go through because of Tesfaye’s popularity.

Although Chandler said she hopes the senators proceed with the charges, some SGA members do not agree.

In a resignation e-mail from SGA senator Darrell Coffey to the SGA Legislative branch, he mentions “impeachment attempts” as one of the recent issues that show “the worst of the SGA.”

According to Coffey’s e-mail, “It’s the internal bickering and politicking that is causing schisms and creating an organization that does not work for the students, but works for itself . There are people in the SGA that like to use politics of destruction … These politics are dreadful, and tire on me quite easily.”

The Judicial board has requested that the impeachment be placed on the Senate agenda for March 23.