SGA impeached the director of finance and swore in the senator of innovation and senator-at-large at the Oct. 2 Senate meeting.
SGA President Aidan Burke also introduced freshman Bri Maddox as the student-at-large.
According to the SGA constitution, students-at-large are appointed by the president of SGA and are not a member of the executive, legislative or judicial branch according to the SGA constitution.
Instead, the student-at-large acts as a connection between the student body and SGA, can proxy for SGA members and stand on SGA committees “with all the rights and duties of committee membership.”
Impeachment
The Senate impeached former Director of Finance Jordan Vasconcellos with a unanimous vote, marking SGA’s first impeachment since 2016.
According to Article 10 Section B, which directs that any officer may be impeached for failure to carry out duties of office.
Vasconcellos’ failure of duties included excessive absence, outlined as more than three unexcused absences in SGA bylaws, failure to chair the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC), failure to process club applications and failure to act as primary contact point for student fee activity allocation.
“Jordan has neglected these responsibilities, leaving students and organizations without the required support,” said Justice Savoy Garey.
Vasconcellos was allowed to defend himself; however, he failed to appear. Senator-at-large Stefan Hoffman was the only SGA member to present evidence against Vasconcellos, providing the minutes for the last four BAC meetings, all of which Vasconcellos was absent from.
Senator-of-Education Teri Kaer also noted that multiple efforts had been made to contact Vasconcellos with no response.
Vasconcellos has 30 days to file an appeal.
Senator of Innovation
SGA voted 9-1, with three absences and one abstaining to elect Keison Morales as the new senator of innovation.
Morales is pursuing a bachelor’s in innovation with hopes to increase the program’s visibility and foster innovation at UCCS by increasing campus engagement — especially for commuter students.
“When you come into college, you hear ‘I don’t know what I want to do with my life,’ and with the bachelor of innovation you’re able to experience the real world and see what you want to do with your life because having it spread across the four colleges allows you to be diverse,” Morales said.
Morales also noted that the degree is young, established at UCCS in 2007, so he is open to student feedback and learning how the program can be improved. He emphasized the importance of connecting with students to learn about different problems across campus that require solutions.
Senator-at-Large
SGA voted unanimously, with three abstaining due to absence to elect Ethan Nordman as a new senator-at-large.
Nordman is majoring in information systems on the pre-law track according to Burke. Nordman described himself as an involved member on campus.
His leadership positions include president of the Asian-Pacific Islander Union, student engagement leader for the College of Business and a peer-mentor at MOSAIC.
When asked, Nordman described his leadership style as “tough but fair.”
“I also know that [committee members] are busy students as well, so giving them grace of like, ‘if you can’t pick it up this week, let me know.’ We can reevaluate what the situation is, but still making sure that things get done,” Nordman said.
Nordman briefly discussed hopes to bring dining, other than Alpine Express, back to the Roaring Fork dining hall considering feedback from students in Alpine Village.
Student-at-Large
Maddox is a freshman majoring in business administration with a minor in entrepreneurship and graduated high school with her associates of general studies after dual enrollment at Canon City High School and Pueblo Community College,
Maddox hopes to be a positive addition to the SGA community and improve the overall well-being of the student body.
“I think a good, strong student government, like what is here at the university, can really make the place better for students. It’s been really important to me to do everything that I can with whatever positions and opportunities I have to ensure that I leave UCCS in a better place than I found it,” Maddox said.
In other news:
- The Senator of Letters, Arts and Sciences Sam Kopessa, co-presented a proposal about bus passes for students to GAF at their meeting held on Oct. 6.
- Director of Student Engagement Noelle San Souci introduced the new Associate Director of Student Engagement David Schieler.
- Friendsgiving will take place on Nov. 19 from 6-9 p.m.
Graphic via Scribe archives.