PLYMOUTH- On Sunday April 17, it was announced to the Senate that the Executive Board Committee sent five senate members letters requesting their resignations from their positions due to violations of the attendance policy.
The members asked to resign are as follows: Daosay Lemay, Sonya Grabauskas, Maya Blanchette, and Kathy Deluca. Deluca and Blanchette have not resigned, and remain members of the senate although they are still in violation of the attendance policy.
The original policy states that senate members are allowed two absences per semester without penalty. The policy also considers one office hour, or one committee meeting to count as one-third of an absence.
The policy also states that, “on the third absence the process will be started to remove the officer from their seat.”
In her letter of resignation Grabauskas states: ” I would like to extend my apologies to the Student Senate for the two missed meetings. However, on the issue of five weeks of “missed” office hours, I take exception. I have indeed served these hours, but I may not have logged all these hours in the book…the enforcement of logging office hours may be something that the Executive Board considers for next semester. Senate is losing many good people to the weak investigation of bylaw violations and lack of due process.”
Blanchette is also facing discrepancies with senate’s request for resignation stating, ” I feel like these actions were pre-emptive. You’re taking too much action, and it feels like an abuse of power. There’s a lot less people in this room, and I don’t think that’s good leadership,” she stated at the senate meeting. Blanchette was under the impression that two of her absences were excused as she informed the vice-speaker through e-mail that she wasn’t able to attend.
According to Student Body President Peter Laufenberg, Vice Speaker Kathryn Moitoza noticed an increasing attendance problem and brought her concerns to the executive board.
The normal procedure would call for the members being charged with impeachment, however, the executive board realized that they didn’t have a solid case.
“It’s not anyone’s fault in particular, and it [impeachment] would have hurt the development of our organization at this point,” stated Laufenberg.
Two weeks ago the bylaws were revised in order to allow Senate members to make up absences by filling extra office hours. Being impeached, or asked to resign for violating the attendance policy has no impact on students filling officer positions the following year. “Everything is there for this to not go on. It’s going to take communication between the Executive Board and Senate,” stated Laufenberg.
” It’s definitely a learning experience, you have to balance what is good for an organization; and the rules, standards, and procedures of an organization,” added Laufenberg.