Petition against USAC official withdrawn
A petition filed against an undergraduate student government officer was withdrawn after the involved parties resolved the issue independently.
The Judicial Board initiated a case last week against Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kinnery Shah following allegations that she violated Undergraduate Students Association Council conflict-of-interest policies.
During the elections, an email was sent out to the Cultural Affairs Commission listserv. The email expressed support for Shah, who was running for re-election, and fellow candidates from the Students First! slate.
Chris Flores, a fourth-year political science student and a member of the opposing slate Bruins United, submitted the petition to ask Judicial Board to investigate whether or not the message demonstrated a conflict of interest.
In an interview last week, Flores said the use of the CAC email address indicated Shah using her office for personal gain.
A recently introduced USAC bylaw prohibits officers from receiving “improper benefits” as a result of their position and requires disclosure to the council if there is any such conflict of interest.
However, before Judicial Board hearings began, Shah met with USAC President Emily Resnick and Internal Vice President Kristina Sidrak to resolve the issue.
Resnick said she reasoned they were capable of reaching an agreement without a time-consuming hearing.
Shah said she also met with Flores and explained that she wasn’t involved with the listserv message, as the email blast was sent by Michelle Green, Shah’s public relations director and a fourth-year political science student. Flores dropped the petition after the meeting this Monday, Resnick said.
In their meetings, Shah and Resnick decided to issue a statement to Judicial Board, clarifying what had happened and what steps would be taken in the future. They also hope to make election codes clearer, including an explanation of exactly what a subscription email list entails.
“It’s a really good chance for people to work across party lines,” Resnick said. “Hopefully when elections roll around next year, people will be better educated.”
