SGA election prompts student outcry
Revote to decide winners of SGA election after controversial disqualification
Ben Herbst
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: News
SGA President Nicholas Cade '08 and Mullins both received well over 100 complaints via e-mail for their decision to disqualify Boland/Finnegan, a decision they did not personally make. The decision was made by the five-member Judiciary. "The people who actually vote to determine the outcome of a Judiciary hearing are a diverse group of students from around campus who in their job description are precluded from being members of SPB, SGA or serving as a Head Resident," Mullins said.
Mullins responded to the e-mails either generally with clarifying Official Notices or responded to personal attacks with individual e-mails and invitations to discuss student frustrations in person. According to Mullins, "Frequently these students shied away from having an actual conversation and hid behind a faceless e-mail." He is still open to discussion, and will be holding a brainstorming session for future elections at some point this spring, but added: "If you have personal beef with me, please call (248) 838-0212."
Frustrations with the Judiciary's decision and a smear campaign targeting Boland boiled over hours after the decision and continued during Spring Recess on the Digest of Civil Discourse, an e-mail list server for student discussion. Students also felt that Heinrich had improperly used his position as Head i-Play Commissioner to campaign using i-Play e-mail lists.
Many students supporting Boland/Finnegan argued that Pitt/Heinrich had committed similar campaign infractions and some went as far as to say that Heinrich had personally conducted a smear campaign against Boland. Discourse proved extremely uncivil as students supporting one ticket or the other launched into attacks against the candidates and their supporters.
According to Boland, there were two different rounds of posters that personally attacked him. They focused on him being a resident of a substance free residence hall, East Quad. The second round contained the text: "Patrick Boland = Chem Free," and "Do you really want this man representing you?" These signs were posted on his door, in the East Quad lounge and on the Miller Street on Wednesday March 19. While some were quick to blame Pitt/Heinrich, Boland said, "At this point I really just don't care. It may have been one really disgruntled person who I pissed off in the past, I don't know. I've talked to Joel a lot about this and he unequivocally denied it," Boland said, adding that if Pitt gave him his word that he and Heinrich were not involved, he believed them.
Mullins responded to the e-mails either generally with clarifying Official Notices or responded to personal attacks with individual e-mails and invitations to discuss student frustrations in person. According to Mullins, "Frequently these students shied away from having an actual conversation and hid behind a faceless e-mail." He is still open to discussion, and will be holding a brainstorming session for future elections at some point this spring, but added: "If you have personal beef with me, please call (248) 838-0212."
Frustrations with the Judiciary's decision and a smear campaign targeting Boland boiled over hours after the decision and continued during Spring Recess on the Digest of Civil Discourse, an e-mail list server for student discussion. Students also felt that Heinrich had improperly used his position as Head i-Play Commissioner to campaign using i-Play e-mail lists.
Many students supporting Boland/Finnegan argued that Pitt/Heinrich had committed similar campaign infractions and some went as far as to say that Heinrich had personally conducted a smear campaign against Boland. Discourse proved extremely uncivil as students supporting one ticket or the other launched into attacks against the candidates and their supporters.
According to Boland, there were two different rounds of posters that personally attacked him. They focused on him being a resident of a substance free residence hall, East Quad. The second round contained the text: "Patrick Boland = Chem Free," and "Do you really want this man representing you?" These signs were posted on his door, in the East Quad lounge and on the Miller Street on Wednesday March 19. While some were quick to blame Pitt/Heinrich, Boland said, "At this point I really just don't care. It may have been one really disgruntled person who I pissed off in the past, I don't know. I've talked to Joel a lot about this and he unequivocally denied it," Boland said, adding that if Pitt gave him his word that he and Heinrich were not involved, he believed them.
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