by Justin Boulmay
Staff Writer
A Student Government Association presidential ticket was suspended
Wednesday from campaigning for 24 hours after allegedly violating
Elections Committee rules.
Presidential candidate Matthew D. Whisenant and vice presidential
candidate Justin W. Moore were prohibited from interacting with
students face-to-face, Elections Committee Chair Dorothy M. Andrews
said Tuesday. SGA Advisor Dino J. Dibernardi lifted the Elections
Committee sanction Wednesday night.
The ticket’s campaigning was suspended because Whisenant and
Moore failed to submit campaign materials and related receipts to
the committee, Andrews said.
“There were infringements on due process,” Dibernardi
said.
The Elections Committee was not wrong in finding violations, but
was wrong in not allowing the ticket to provide written documents
or witnesses, he said.
Moore said the prohibition will affect the number of votes his ticket
receives.
Elections Committee member Christopher R. Periera said the suspension
came after Whisenant and Moore paid for phone calls to be made to
students in residence halls. The receipts for that service were
not submitted to the committee, which must approve all materials
used by candidates and monitor funds for campaigning.
Moore said the receipts were not available from the company they
hired until after the service was performed, and added he was angered
by the committee’s decision.
“I’m very upset at the way the committee hearing was
conducted,” he said. Moore said the committee used excessive
punishment and violated due process.
In his appeal, Moore said the students who filed the three complaints
against the ticket were not present at the committee hearing.
Andrews said the hearing was conducted with due process, and the
Whisenant-Moore campaign received a copy of the complaints and the
name of the students with their contact information.
Moore said members of the committee had friends in the presidential
race that would prosper if his campaign were punished.
Whisenant-Moore’s campaign manager Alan M. Teitleman said
certain committee members, specifically Pereira, had a conflict
of interest in that two committee members are currently pledging
to one candidate’s fraternity.
Periera denies Teitleman’s claims, and said he joined the
committee because volunteers were still needed. |
