Judicial Board to investigate CAC Commissioner Shah for potential conflict of interest
By Kelly Zhou
May 11, 2011 2:09 a.m.
Student Judicial Board accepted a petition on Monday to investigate a potential conflict of interest violation by an undergraduate student government officer.
An email from the Cultural Affairs Commission listserv asked students to vote for current commissioner Kinnery Shah in the 2011-2012 Undergraduate Students Association Council elections.
The email was released last Wednesday, a day after the council added a conflict-of-interest clause to its bylaws, which Shah helped craft. The new rule prohibits USAC officers from receiving improper benefits from their position and requires disclosure to the council if there is a conflict of interest.
After complaints from members of opposing slate Bruins United, Election Board ruled that the email violated rules regarding listserv campaigning, and the Students First! slate was banned from campaigning for two hours the next day.
Fourth-year political science student Chris Flores filed the petition with Judicial Board, arguing that Shah violated the new bylaw by using her email to solicit votes.
Yet the email was sent from Michelle Green, the CAC public relations director, not Shah.
“I knew nothing about the email,” Shah said. “On behalf of my PR director, it was a stupid but honest mistake.”
Flores disagreed, saying that the email came from her CAC account and that Shah is responsible for the commission’s actions.
“It’s all about keeping our councilmembers accountable and to the highest standards, regardless of slate affiliation,” said Flores, who is a member of Bruins United.
Flores said he was surprised Judicial Board picked up the case since Election Board already sanctioned Students First!, and he just wanted Shah to publicly apologize for violating USAC policy.
Shah said she believes the issue stemmed from slate politics, since Bruins United members were responsible for the petition and a member of their slate faced a similar situation earlier this year.
Rustom Z. Birdie, Bruins United member and former Financial Supports commissioner, signed a contract in November with startup company Jobbook.com. He agreed to promote the site in exchange for stock shares, which Judicial Board later ruled was a conflict of interest. Birdie was found guilty of wrongdoing, and resigned in April.
The lack of clarity in USAC rules regarding situations like this spurred the council to add the conflict-of-interest clause, which is now part of the case against Shah.
“We’re calling into question actions taken by a councilmember, so in that regard, the cases are similar,” said Sinthuja Nagalingam, Judicial Board chief justice and a third-year political science and business economics student. “However … whether or not (Shah’s case) was a conflict of interest is still up for evaluation.”
Green, a fourth-year political science student, volunteered to step down. She said she and other staffers misinterpreted the rules, and Shah should not be punished.
“At the end of the day, that’s an important lesson in officers making clear to their staff what is allowed,” Shah said. “I think I’ve done a good job establishing my reputation at the council table, and I hope that stands true.”
