When rules are broken, the penalty should match the offense. For ASUI Senator Zack Goytowski, this was not the case.
Goytowski was accused of violating ASUI election regulations when he continued to campaign during the three days of voting in November, and as a result impeachment charges were filed against him.
The ASUI rules and regulations cite several grounds for impeachment of a senator: Malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance (the illegal use of a legal power) or repeated violations of ASUI governing documents. Senators can also be impeached for serious violations of federal, state and local laws.
Goytowski admitted mistakes were made during his campaign — mistakes that should have resulted in a maximum penalty of a $200 fine as stipulated in ASUI’s rules and regulations, not impeachment.
In crafting the impeachment papers, ASUI’s own rules and regulations were violated. The proper procedure for writing an Article of Impeachment is to include the name of the accused ASUI official and a specific list of charges and offenses, according to ASUI rules and regulations.
Goytowski should have been informed in a memo from the accusing senator of the accusations against him as well as the time and location of a scheduled hearing to determine if the charges were in fact grounds for impeachment.
This process did not happen.
In ASUI’s general meeting Wednesday it was determined the accusations against Goytowski were not grounds for impeachment, after a long and pointless debate.
If Goytowski did violate election regulations, he should be punished accordingly. His minor offense should not be used as a petty excuse to have someone removed from office who was voted in by University of Idaho students.
ASUI senators are elected to represent
the entire student body, including those
with differing views than the majority. But disagreeing with the masses can make someone unpopular.
The point of ASUI is not to waste students’ time and money with trifling impeachment hearings in which they break their own rules through accusing someone else of doing the same. Senators should be more concerned with the allocation of student fees and resolving other issues that have a direct impact on students.
The ASUI senate is supposed to be an elected body that acts with students’ best interests in mind, not a clique in which people are voted in based on their social status. It is a responsibility, not a popularity contest.
So leave the drama in high school.
— EE