Following a decision by Student Government Commissioner of Elections Eric St. Pierre, Ben Couhig will have to resubmit his petition to have SG President Chris Odinet recalled.
St. Pierre withdrew approval of Couhig’s petition after speaking to Dean of Students KC White, who told him more time was needed before a decision on the recall could be reached.
St. Pierre essentially balked in his duty after an administrator offered her opinion.
We believe St. Pierre’s decision goes against everything SG stands for. The SG Trial Court eventually made what this board considers the correct decision by allowing Couhig to continue his recall effort, but it is a decision it should not have had to make in the first place.
White often advises SG members on which route to take on unprecedented issues that arise during a semester. While she has every right to do so, this board feels it is not in the best interest of the student body for SG members to work as the administration’s mouthpiece.
“I met with KC White today who is the Dean of Students to make sure she knew about the petition and also to request some advice in regards to the decisions that the Election Board and I will have to make,” St. Pierre wrote to Couhig in an e-mail a week ago. “It is her opinion that we do not rush into making a decision until some discussion is done.”
But the student body did not elect administrators to SG positions.
St. Pierre, an SG presidential appointee, should be ashamed of his decision to follow White’s advice, ultimately bringing the free speech of his constituent to a halt.
This board would like to thank Student Sen. Donald Hodge for filing an injunction against St. Pierre’s decision. It was a classy move to go against the administration. He had courage to do what he was elected to do – serve the student body.
We still believe it is premature to decide whether we think Odinet should be recalled. But if the petition gets the estimated 3,500 signatures needed for a recall vote, we ask that the student body take more action than it did in the spring 2006 election. This is your chance to make a difference in Student Government.
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