The A.S. Council held a seldom-used council caucus Wednesday night sparked by e-mailed accusations of misconduct of the Vice President Internal Jenn Brown by Senate Chair Nick Lieberknecht.
In an e-mail that went out to the council early Tuesday morning, Lieberknecht brought allegations against Brown. One of his concerns, he said, would be “”grounds for impeachment”” pending an explanation.
Following negotiations between Lieberknecht and Brown, the caucus agenda was changed to address concerns about how council meetings are conducted.
For a substantitive part of the three-and-a-half hour council meeting, Lieberknecht and Brown led a discussion focused on the members’ opinions of the proper conduct of meetings.
The main concern addressed was the lack of adherence to the rules of parliamentary procedure, and how to best enforce them.
The council, in an informal poll, overwhelmingly favored finding some sort of parliamentarian to either lead or advise the vice president internal in leading the meetings.
The position of parliamentarian is currently in the constitution, but Brown said she has not been able to find anyone interested in and qualified for the position.
Issues of personal behavior and treatment of the public during meetings were also addressed.
The caucus concluded with Lieberknecht’s announcement that he wishes to work with other members to propose legislation to address current concerns.
There was no discussion of Brown’s behavior specifically.
“”This is a discussion that is long, long, long overdue,”” said Marshall College Chair Adam Sharki.
Lieberknecht’s e-mail was titled: “”Council Caucus: Senate the Office of the Vice President Internal.”” It addressed three complaints against the Office of the Vice President Internal: the handling of the recently added Senate office space, the unprofessional legislative meetings and the questionable appointment of a committee representative on the part of Brown.
Brown and Lieberknecht conversed late Tuesday and early Wednesday and worked out solutions and explanations over the first and third items addressed in the e-mail.
After his addressing of concerns over the office, “”it resurrected as a big priority in [Brown’s] mind,”” Lieberknecht said.
The issue of the improper appointment was addressed in the conversation and Lieberknecht said he no longer considers it an issue.
The caucus addressed the second concern brought up by Lieberknecht.
Warren junior senator Lauren Lee stressed that having a parliamentarian would be beneficial to the council when it comes to maintaining a bias-free environment.
She said believes that someone who can introduce legislation should not be allowed to chair the meeting.
Members of council expressed concerns over the way the caucus was reached.
“”While I think this [discussion] is good, I don’t necessarily like the way we arrived here,”” said Vice President External Dylan deKervor.
Lieberknecht said there was a reason for the way he addressed his concerns.
“”If I just talked to Jenn [Brown] personally, no one would know that [the concerns] were being addressed,”” he said.
Some senators supported Lieberknecht’s complaints.
“”I know a lot of us are not appreciative of the way council has been conducted,”” said Eleanor Roosevelt College Junior Senator Wendy Ho.
Others disagreed with Lieberknecht’s claims.
“”I really don’t see anything inappropriate going on at all,”” said Warren College Sophomore Senator Kevin Hsu.
The timing of Lieberknecht’s complaints have come under fire, as elections are coming up and the candidate filing deadline is Monday.
The timing “”makes the move look very political,”” said Roosevelt Freshman Senator Harish Nandagopal.
“”I believe it would be naive to say that pre-elections politics do not have a role in what people choose to say, how they say it, and sometimes more importantly, what they choose not to say, especially in a council setting,”” Sharki said.
Commissioner of Communications Catherine Algeri said she believed political motives were not absent from the caucus.
“”I feel disappointed because I really do feel that people have let their elections politics come into this space,”” she said.