J-board releases opinion on reps
Nearly three weeks later than its expected date, the undergraduate student government judicial board released its official opinion regarding an incident of vandalism that allegedly involved two councilmembers during the run-off elections in spring.
The opinion was released by the Undergraduate Students Association Judicial Board July 12 and states that a stay is still in place on the councilmembers until the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s Elections Board releases the findings to the J-board.
As a result of a hearing June 9, a stay was placed on General Representatives Anneli Villarin and Tommy Tseng, in order for an investigation to take place regarding the vandalism of a student group’s sandwich board. Council overruled J-board’s decision after it failed to meet its two week deadline to release its opinion.
In his July 12 e-mail containing the opinion, Mark Belgen, the chief justice of the board, stated that he had sent the document to the parties involved but that they had not received it as a result of an assumed computer glitch.
Belgen said he had not resend the information, since he was on vacation.
The statement made in the e-mail contradicts Belgen’s previous comments to the Daily Bruin on July 5.
Belgen had said he is still waiting for the E-board to file the documentation and he would have lifted the stay had he been provided with sufficient evidence.
The E-board was to further investigate the alleged vandalism and report its findings to the J-board in order for a final opinion to be released within two weeks of the hearing.
Previously, the E-board has said it does not have the authorization to file appropriate documentation. But E-board officials have also said investigations by the UCPD and the Student Conduct Committee found insufficient evidence against Villarin and Tseng.
As time passed, the council got impatient and lifted the stay on June 29, when the council overruled the J-board by a vote of 7-2.
Tseng, who resumed work in his position after the council’s overruling, is pleased with the outcome and questioned J-board’s authority.
“I don’t think that J-board has the authority to change the bylaws on their own and say that stay is still in place,” Tseng said.
Tseng was not alone in his feelings of confusion regarding the opinion.
USAC President Allende Palma/Saracho said the opinion stating the stay is still in place will not have an effect on the council and the two general representatives.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” he said, “It’s already been overturned ... the council had the final say.”
He added that he has tried to reach the J-board to ask about specifics of the opinion, but has had no success.
Palma/Saracho explained that knowing more about the case is important since it could change the future of how the E-board operates. But for now, there will be no impact on the way the E-board works.
Belgen said the opinion is worded that way since it was written before the council’s decision to overturn the J-board.
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