Senate calls on Cortez to resign; Hall steps down

In a brief but dramatic meeting Monday, the Student Government Senate read a list of alleged ethical violations on the part of Student Body President James Cortez and then asked Cortez to resign his post.The meeting, which started at approximately noon and lasted less than 30 minutes, came less than a week after the last regularly-scheduled senate meeting for the fall 2008 semester. A formal agenda was made and, though it included an open forum, the senate immediately approved a closed forum for the entirety of the meeting, blocking any questions from guests or campus media. Within minutes, the senate called for a closed session, one of many they’ve called this semester. Senators then exited the office, and members of the judicial branch entered.Minutes later, the senate came back into the office and acting speaker Alfredo Jimenez read a letter outlining the charges against Cortez. Senators drafted this letter, according to Juan Mendive, senator for the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) at a three-hour closed meeting held Saturday, Nov. 22. However, Cortez, who was not aware of any grievances the senate had against him, was not notified of Monday’s meeting until less than 24 hours prior. He also was not made aware that charges of ethical violations would be levied against him; nor was he provided with a copy of the letter before or during the meeting.No copies of the letter were passed out at the meeting, which was held in the Student Government office and attended by very few students outside the organization. Jimenez did, however, provide a copy for The Bridge (below). Among other things, the letter claims Cortez “knowingly misrepresented the truth at a [A&M System] Board of Regents meeting by stating that he personally helped and observed the treatment of Hurricane Ike evacuees during their stay at TAMIU.” The letter also at various points alleges Cortez gave “special treatment” to the TAMIU Early College High School (ECHS).Once the letter was read out loud, the senate passed a non-binding resolution formally asking for the president’s resignation. After this, they adjourned the meeting, and most senators rushed out of the room, refusing to answer questions from the justices or The Bridge. “I’m totally taken back,” said Cortez, visibly disturbed by what transpired. “I feel that this issue was brazen and not handled well.”Cortez also questioned the timing, tone, and brevity of the meeting.”It felt like a hit and run.”The judicial branch uniformly agreed with Cortez. Answering the charge of misrepresentation of the truth, Cortez felt the issue was trivial. “I told the Board of Regents that the Student Government assisted with Hurricane Ike. How did I misrepresent the truth? Was I supposed to say ‘The Senate’ assisted with Hurricane Ike? Was I supposed to mention only one branch?'”To the charge that he gave special treatment to the ECHS , Cortez responded: “There have always been disagreements on how to handle them.” He then alluded to concerns of “mistreatment” of the ECHS by TAMIU students and said, “If it’s our students’ fault, it’s our students’ fault. If it was the fault of the [ECHS] that would be a different story.” He did not elaborate on what “mistreatment” he was referring to. One senator who stayed behind to answer questions was Manuel Marquez, who supported the resolution. He said that the senate did not want to address the issue in such hasty fashion, but they never had time to address it during the regularly-scheduled senate meetings because “other issues kept intervening.” Marquez did not specify how long the senators had been planning to ask for Cortez’s resignation. As the conversation between Marquez, Cortez, and members of the judiciary intensified, some who supported Cortez expressed feelings that the senate acted out of personal reasons. “I don’t think it’s personal,” answered Rodolfo Morales, Senator At-Large. Morales was the only senator to vote against the resolution. “I think they [senators] feel that the grievances are valid. I think some of them have a degree of truth to them. I think this is something that goes back to a lack of communication. Although I disagree with their decision, I do have to stand by it.”Later Monday afternoon, The Bridge caught up with Senator At-Large Matthew Hall, who declined to comment except to say that he abstained when it came time to vote on the resolution (behind the scenes, he was one of the move’s chief proponents, according to other senators). At least one charge in the letter, however, appears inconsistent with what Hall said in the past.An article in the Oct 8 issue of The Bridge covering Student Government’s role in assisting Ike evacuees from other A&M schools states “…Hall lauded the performance of the group’s chief executives, Student Body President James Cortez and Vice President Eliezar Castañeda. Cortez and Castañeda split their time over the weekend between aiding evacuees and collecting canned goods on behalf of Food for Thought, a local nonprofit organization.”While this article seems to negate the charge that Cortez lied about helping Ike victims, Hall said that the Oct. 8 article incorrectly paraphrased what he said. He never before raised this concern. In an abrupt turn of events Monday afternoon, Hall announced his resignation from the senate effective noon this Wednesday. While no reason was given, he said he will remain active in SG as a civil servant and will continue his efforts to promote diversity on campus. Responding via e-mail, Dr. Minita Ramirez, dean of Student Success and a frequent advisor to SG, said she’d prefer not to comment until she knew the whole story. (Note: This is the letter read by the Student Government Senate at the meeting of Monday, Nov. 24. It appears unedited, as it was provided by the senate.)Dear Student Government members,It has come to the attention of the Student Government that certain executive decisions have resulted in unintended results, much to the chagrin of speculating over which legislative issues require more attention, and which legislative issues are relatively important. It has also come to our attention that because special interests, and an underlying bias in favor, have apparently persisted in favoring one group over the other in regards to pending legislation, and that the executive has continually persisted in trying to convince the Senate in pursuing certain actions that do not meet the requirements of valid justification and, That the executive office shows contempt for disapproval of Senate majority opinion, and that even when it seems that the Senate votes another way, the executive office wishes to infringe on the SG Constitution by explicitly asking for methods to favor special interests that cater to only one group and that these special interests do not address the whole student body’s welfare and,That the executive office deliberately and knowingly has acknowledged that their only concern has always been to persuade the SG Senate to reconsider the interests of only one group and not discuss issues that affect the whole student body, knowing that in doing so, they forget about the majority of students while favoring a small minority,Be it resolved, that this SG Senate, by acknowledgment of the directives specified in the Code of Ethics and the explicit powers given to check and balance the infringement of influences, as found in the SG Constitution, find that1. President James Cortez knowingly misrepresented the truth at a Board of Regents meeting by stating that he personally helped and observed the treatment of Hurricane Ike evacuees during their stay at TAMIU,2. President James Cortez knowingly misrepresented the truth by hiding and or protecting Vice-president Cataneda’s actions regarding the misuse of the names and e mails database collected during orientation,3. President James Cortez has deliberately and routinely offered special treatment to the ECHS by assuring them a nonvoting member in the Senate, going as far as calling a justice and asking for an interpretation so that this may occur, and infringing on the personal decisions of each Senate member,4. As witnessed by senators, President James Cortez offered special consideration and attempted to bribe a Senator by offering him a slot in the Student Fee Advisory Committee if they would discontinue their objections to the selection process,5. President James Cortez failed to meet requirement as president as according to article two section three sub point two by failing to attend all events organized an executed by the student government,6. public disrespect of a student organization leader,As listed in these statements, by reason of evidence derived from the application of the powers listed in the SG Constitution, and by reasonable doubt of intended bias,This SG finds James Cortez liable for his actions as a result of repeated grievances that violate the intent of the SG Constitution. It is therefore plausible to suggest, based on these facts, that the recommendation for the consideration of everyone in the senate member present to deliberate a vote of no confidence, to ask the president to respectfully resign.