SCANDALSIN SUS RESULTIN EXECUTIVEDISSIPATION

By Beth Kelleher

Follnwing un erratic fall semester, and tumultuous beginning to the wi ntcr term. rriuuy's Student Uninn Sul.'.iety's counl'il meeting and the dny • to follow saw the most sudden turn uf events in the Studt.ml Union thus far this ycur. us all but one S1udct11Union Society Executive Member n:signcd from their positions.

The resignation of Publil.'. Information Officer, Jose U1,categui 1111 January 14. 2002, affective January 25th, 2002, ~ent shock waves through the Student Union. Executive anu wuncil members were forced into a desperate bout of reshuffling in an effort to cover the essential communications elements of this position until a replacement could be elected or appointeJ. The reorgan• ization process was greally hindered by both the constant responsibilities of the other executives in their own positions, and the recent reversion of the SUS executive paid hours from 25 hour~ per week al $ i S per hour bnck to 3 hours per week 1:lt $12.50 per hour.

Ar this current rate. SUS executives arc being paid the same amount a:, SUS reps, though the responsibility level is much gre,11er.nnd therefore the feasibility of being nble to adequately fill the position within the time frame of three hours per week is greatly reduced. Uzcatcgui claims " 1 could not afford 10<ledicate the time required to realistically meet the expectations of the IPIOl position while concentrating adequate time on my studies."

Amidst numero11sfestering intern.ii und personal eonllic1s. the SUS held its second council meeting of the yeur. still reeling from the Uzcatcgui's recent resignation. "I suppoSl' we'll appoint someone internally until Murch elections." pre<licted S S executive president Mark DeLadurnmaye, but 'Who'?' was the question on everyone's minds that the events of the last week would make nearly impossible to answer.

Issues fucling the political lire include allegations of misplaced monies from September's Disorientation events totaling between $3500 and $4000 aguinst an unnamed member of council, whose current status remains 'a member in bad standing.' An issue that was brought to the mornl forefront of discussion when the implications of these nllegations spread to naming Leah Cote. SUS Director of Finance. us partly responsihle.

Circumventing the collective agreement 10 reach a council consenst1s regarding the course or action to be t.iken, DeLadurnntaye took nllegmions directly lo the police, consequently ulierrnting the support of many remaining COllflcil members and executives.

ror outraged Me111bers ol Council nnd n:maInIng Executives. this proved to be the last straw and a motion was instigated tn impeach DeLadurant11yc. The impcm:h• I11cntmotion wns del'euted despite 5I7r support (i111peuchrncn1 motions ,·equirc 75% to pas~). however OeLadurantaye submitteu u reactionary oral resignationaffective immediately - and lel't the meeting. DeLuduruntaye remains temporarily unavailable for comment.

Tuesday afternoon, SUS F.xecutivc Director of Finunl.'.e, Leah Cote. e>.pres:,euher intentions to resign, prompted hy the apparent clirnax of months of mounting politir.:al discontentment unu instability within thl! Student Union Society.

After considering resigning us well. SUS Vice President, Dave Burnie explained "I think part of it is that I care so much for the students. I am prevented from helping them in the way I want to :.ind know I could if it were not for the political complications." After a 24 hour temporary resig• nation, Burnie chose not 10 resign and is currently acting in the rcplacc111cnIcapacity ol' SUS President.

C::ow'sresignation is officially affective Tuesday. February 12th, however. Cnte docs not pi.in to net in her pt>sition's cap.icity past February 5, thus making the rutilication of the resignation by the SUS Council's on Feh. 12th merely a formality.

Who will till the gaps left by our clu:.ive executive is the questinn ut the fnrel'ront of thnught for· SUS reps, SUS Genernl Manager, Dave Melenchuk. und SUS Officer Munngcr. Tammy McClellan. With only two original executive left. it seems obvious that reps will bc appointed to fill these positions but how the positions will be determined and who, exactly, should fill them is yet to be deter• mined.

Having seen downturns in yeurs past. McClellan offer the possihle cxplanatinn that there is n charncteri~tic dwr in slu<ltnl cxtra-eurriculur involvc1t1ent in the Winter seIuc.:stcr, however nn nne within thc SUS admit~ II) hoving witne~scd ~uch un nhviou~ ralloul as thi;;.

Pending the next council meeting on rebrunry Hth. little can and is being done lo repair or reconvene the numerous SUS cnmrnillecs requiring .illention nnd members. SUS Executive positions currently rernnin unfilled - their responsibilities rc1t1aining unfulfilled.