Student Senate: Budget Requests and Proceedings with Impeachment of Colin Hughes
The Senate executive board during a meeting (Photo Aly Wein/The Gettysburgian)
By Leah McCann, Staff Writer
The Nov. 29 Senate meeting involved budget requests and proceedings with the impeachment trial of Vice President Colin Hughes ’23.
Officer Reports
President Sydney Quan ’22 once again offered 30 minute check-ins “for anyone who wants to talk.”
Quan also announced that she is looking for members to join the Student Conduct Review Board. Director of Student Activities and Greek Life Jon Allen clarified that there are cases where faculty, administration, and three students gather to hear concerns and/or information from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) about students who may have violated conduct.
These students “make sure that the person being charged is responsible or not responsible, and what their sanctions can be.” Allen also stated that the students have a flexible commitment, as there are no set requirements as to how many meetings they must attend. Quan added that she is looking for members with diverse interests to form the group.
Lastly, Quan announced that new tour guides are currently being hired, and stated that she was “happy to walk people through the application process”.
Budget Updates
Treasurer Connor Heath ’23 provided a budget update and facilitated further budget requests. He stated that $44,447.35 has been spent so far, which is a $60 increase from the last update.
The budget requests included:
- Quiz Bowl’s request for $240 for sending teams to the University of Maryland (eight people will be attending). The request was approved in full.
- LASA’s request for $150 for their fundraiser with Sigma Chi, which requires funds for food and games. The request was approved in full.
- Biosphere’s request for $255 for funding for an open house Biology department Christmas party (40 people are expected to attend) on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m in McCreary science center. The request was approved in full.
- Army/ROTC’s request for $6,250 (BMC recommended $1,000 less than this amount) for the military ball, which will occur on Feb. 12 and is open to all of campus. A little over 100 people are expected to attend, and transportation will be provided. The recommended amount of $5,250 was approved.
Committee Announcements
Secretary Evelyn Datte ’24 announced some committee room changes, including College Life Advisory Committee (CLAC) being moved to CUB 126, Opinions being moved to CUB 260, Sustainability to CUB 126, and a few other changes which are listed in both the meeting minutes and engageGettysburg. The committees will still meet at the same times.
The Inclusion Committee reminded members of the speaker attending next week’s meeting, Gettysburg alum Ivana Lopez Espinosa ’19. She will be discussing the biases, microaggressions, and her personal experience within the Senate, as well as giving recommendations as to what the Senate should focus on.
The Safety Committee reported a positive meeting with CLAC and DPS, along with Elizabeth Farner of Student Rights and Responsibilities. They stated that there will be more events to “rebuild the relationship between DPS and the student body”, and are also working to reevaluate the point system to reinforce positive behaviors on campus.
CLAC reminded students that the printers have finally been returned to the library, and echoed Safety’s comments on wanting to coordinate more with DPS for Senate outreach events. They are also still looking into the bike or scooter system on campus, and will keep the student body updated.
The Budget Management Committee stated that their last meeting will be this week, so requested that all remaining budget requests be submitted this week.
Club Announcements
Allen reminded students that Dec. 10th is the last day for organizations to host events for the fall 2021 semester. However, clubs can put events for the spring 2022 semester into 25Live, and can reserve through the end of the spring semester.
The Black Student Union reminded students that they will be hosting an all-campus prom at 8 p.m. in the ballroom this coming Friday, December 3rd. They are “trying to get all of campus together”.
Hillel will be hosting a Hanukkah festival from 5–7 p.m. on Stine Lake on Friday, Dec. 3.
Student Concerns/Announcements
Matt James ’22 announced Marc Crouse’s departure from the College to attendees. Mr. Crouse is currently the only representative for G-Tech, the campus’s unique and highly accessible technology repair area.
While reflecting on his time at Gettysburg, Crouse wanted to thank everyone who he had connected with during his time. To him, it was “kind of surreal” that his days working at the College were coming to an end, and he wanted to emphasize that those who he was able to meet during his time “allowed me to grow as a person, for which I’ll always be thankful”. To close, Crouse stated that he “will miss the camaraderie between myself and my employees, but this isn’t goodbye”. His words were met with applause and a standing ovation from all attendees.
Student Concerns
Diego Joseph ’22 spoke of his frustration with the mission statement of the Senate, stating that the Senate needs to “truly hear all students and their interests” to achieve the change they wish to implement. He affirmed that he “does not expect the Senate to create waves of change on their own” but encourages them to try to enact it in some way.
Emily Kesselman ’22 inquired if anyone was aware of the use for money charged for parking tickets on campus. She also expressed concern for students who cannot afford to pay their tickets and inquired if there are protocols for this situation. A DPS officer in attendance was able to answer her, stating that the money is used to fund lighting, new cameras, and general facilities improvements on campus. The officer noted that since there are approximately 900 students that currently have vehicles on campus and approximately 750 staff members who have vehicles, “there are spaces we need to keep open for employees.” Additionally, all parking information is disclosed in the signage and handbook provided.
To address the concerns of being able to afford the tickets, the officer clarified that there is an online appeals process that can help them if needed. Opinions were expressed from multiple students that DPS could be more open about what the ticket money is being used for and more clearly communicate where parking is and is not allowed.
Vice President Impeachment Trial Proceedings
The Vice President Impeachment Trial proceedings began at this point, directed and presented entirely by Parliamentarian Alexis Jones ’24. Jones reviewed the proceedings, including the direction of dialogue between the Body (voting members) and the Respondent (Hughes). Quan reminded everyone to be “fluid and flexible” in the discussion. Jones elaborated and stated that there would be no time limit on the discussion; rather, restrictions would be “based on merit and content, not duration.”
Jones next reviewed the charges to Hughes, which included conduct unbecoming, violation of values, and failure to discharge duties responsibly. She also elaborated on the specific allegations that fit into each category, which were reviewed in last week’s meeting and were discussed in further detail below.
In regard to Hughes’s comment regarding the appointment of a specific individual for the position of Senator, Jones clarified that the exact comment was “Ew, YAF” upon the recommendation of the person. Hughes had been told that the comment was not appropriate but also brought up the issue during a Diversity Committee meeting in front of non-Executive Board members at a later date.
Regarding Hughes’s comments in his Gettysburgian article on Nov. 13, Jones passed around copies of the article for reference and evidence.
Regarding Hughes’s inability to preside over elections, Jones provided screenshots of an email correspondence between Hughes and Geoffrey Meadville ’25. Meadville had wanted to be included on the ballot as a candidate, and Hughes had initially responded saying that he was unable to edit the ballots once they were set up. Meadville offered to help to find a solution, and the evidence presented ended with Hughes’s response stating that he would “try to work it out.”
Quan’s witness statement followed the first piece of evidence. She described Hughes’s failure to complete duties, including the facilitation of onboarding, affinity group leader elections and appointments, and all application processes.
At this point, the respondent (Hughes) made an official plea: not responsible. He was then permitted to give an opening statement to support his plea.
On the comment about the potential Senator, Hughes said that at the time, he “was exacerbated and frustrated” and was trying to take “an opportunity to represent someone different.” He said, “[It] wasn’t professional about how I said it, but it was not my intention.”
Regarding the Gettysburgian article, Hughes said that he was not right to present his thoughts in that way. However, he stated that his comments were “immediately taken out of context.” He “thought it would be the best way to resolve … a rumor” and that he “could give [his] side of how things played out.” He defended that “you can criticize the institution but still want to change it for the better.”
On the election issues, Hughes noted that “part of the email is not there”. He clarified that he did manage to get Meadville on the ballot, stating that, “I did this late because I wasn’t told I could edit [the ballot]”. Regarding the issue of the comment about the potential Senator, Hughes added that he “does not see how discussing an issue vaguely in front of a non-Exec member is grounds for impeachment.”
Questions Regarding Hughes’s Opening Statement
Jones then opened up discussion of Hughes’s opening statement.
It was asked why the last email in the exchange between Meadville and Hughes was not included in the evidence, to which Jones replied that “[the email] was not sent in the correspondence.”
Other attendees were concerned if confidence in Hughes’s ability to facilitate elections could be restored. Hughes replied that he “can restore confidence in working through these issues” and would work on the problem if he had a chance to do so.
Hughes was asked to explain his motivation for writing the Gettysburgian article, to which he replied that it was “a response to a rumor that could have stayed in-house.” He also acknowledged that he “did vaguely mention the issue in front of a non-Exec member … but I couldn’t not say something. That’s how I am.”
Upon being asked if the disrespect and malice toward specific individuals in the Gettysburgian article was intentional (the student observed that it “felt like [the article] wasn’t written by someone who is on the Executive Board of the institution”), Hughes replied that “I felt that we have come to an impasse with certain ways that the Executive Board should run.”
Jones reminded everyone to be cautious with questions, as the discussion was not yet open for opinions and application.
Hughes was also asked how he would see himself changing his conduct to help the Senate have confidence in his abilities, to which he replied that he would enforce “clearer communication” on his behalf to avoid the “purposeful misrepresentation [of] my words” that he stated to have occurred within the Senate. Alex Bove ’24 inquired as to whether Hughes still believed in an “alleged conspiracy to remove” him from office, to which Hughes replied, “Maybe I was wrong.”
A student asked Hughes how he will “ be working with the people you accused,” to which Hughes replied that he believed that the situation was “turning into a ‘he said, she said’” dilemma. However, he went on to say that “If I am still here, I will commit to respecting the authority of people.” He also stated that he would work on his communication as well.
Hughes was asked if the Executive Board was notified of the article, and if it would be more appropriate to directly bring up the concern. He replied that they had not been notified, but followed this reply with another statement: “Could I have gone about it in a more diplomatic way? Yes. But I did what I thought was true to how I see things.”
Senate Evidence and Statements
Jones then allowed for time to discuss the evidence, but not opinions or application, of the situation.
Quan elaborated on the details of the Executive Board meeting in which the “Ew, YAF” comment was spoken by Hughes to provide the “subsequent chain of events.” She clarified that the gathering was an informal meeting, and a potential candidate’s name was offered as a Senator candidate. After another officer mentioned that the person was in YAF and Hughes responded with the comment, Quan did not realize she did not address the issue until a later meeting with Jon Allen.
Quan also acknowledged that it is the responsibility and obligation of all Senate members to be non-partisan and to represent these beliefs in their actions within meetings as well.
Connor Heath added that there were multiple responses to Hughes’s comment about the importance of retaining a neutral perspective. He and Quan also clarified that Hughes did apologize after this was addressed.
Jones asked if there were any more clarifying questions after the above discussion of evidence. Matt James asked Hughes if the assessment of the situation was accurate, to which Hughes replied,“I stick[s] by everything else I said” and believed he was being misrepresented through the presentation of the situation.
No closing statement was given from Hughes.
The Gettysburgian was dismissed before the Senate’s deliberations on the impeachment began. The Senate will next meet on Monday, Dec. 6.
