An apparent rift within Student Government Association caused a call for impeachment of current SGA President Hope Fussner. The motion was made after a grievance form was filed charging Fussner with misuse of power, neglect of duty and intimidation.
At the March 31 General Assembly meeting the impeachment motion failed by a vote of 13 to 7, but a motion to censure Fussner was approved at last Thursday’s General Assemblyg meeting.
“This attack has simply been a personal matter and should never have been brought to the General Assembly,” Fussner said in a written statement to The Shield. “The situation has been dealt with, though, and SGA is moving on and finishing out the last few weeks strong.”
While the attempted impeachment failed, the move to censure Fussner passed. This essentially is an official warning that no more offenses will be tolerated.
“I feel like the charges were justified,” said Nick Mathis, freshman representative-at-large. “She had violated some of our rules in the constitution and bylaws.”
Representative Joe Giannini, who was formerly the executive vice president, but stepped down after last semester, filed the grievance.
The charge of misuse of power regarded a teaching application Fussner pushed through past the deadline with the help of an administrator. Opponents to the charge felt this happened due to Fussner’s student-faculty relationship, not her position.
Fussner was also accused of not responding to a student’s email in a timely fashion in the charge of neglect of duty.
The charge of intimidation stemmed from an accusation that Fussner intimidated current executive vice president Mandy Plassmeyer via text messages in an effort to dissuade her from pursuing the position following the departure of Giannini, which left the position vacant.
According to the general assembly minutes, “Ms. Plassmeyer stated that she was personally offended and intimidated by the text messages she received from President Fussner. Ms. Plassmeyer stated that the text messages were also unprofessional and inappropriate.”
Plassmeyer declined to give comment on the meeting or the charges.
“We have accomplished more this year than in any year before, and we are very proud of this fact,” Fussner’s statement said. “I know that I have done a great job and I have worked with students as much as possible and have always represented the student body to the fullest.”
Nick Mathis was part of the group within SGA filing the charges against Fussner.
“The intent was not necessarily to remove her from the organization,” Mathis said. “The main point was to show that we were serious and that it was a serious matter.”