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Student leader appeals dismissal Metro student body president reinstated, hearing will dictate her fate A. Jeter The METROPOLITAN The Metro student Judicial Board reinstated dismissed Metro student government president Stephanie Stevenson last week pending the student court's decision on her appeal of the dismissal. Stevenson presented her appeal Wednesday, charging that Mark Zenghetti, recently named Chief Justice to the Judicial Board, incorrectly interpreted the student government constitution and thus, wrongly fired her. The appeals hearing boiled down to one major issue: Stevenson's eligibility and the interpretation of a constitutional clause stating that any student government member must enroll in and complete at least six credit hours. Stevenson interpreted the clause to mean that she had to comply with that clause at the next available opportunity and said that she did so during the fall 1996 semester. However, Zenghetti said that his understanding was that she must have done that during the spring of 1996 at the time she assumed the office of president. Stevenson was officially dismissed Oct. 31 when Zenghetti received word from the Office of Student Activities that Stevenson had not held the required six-credit minimum during the first two weeks of her tenure that spring. However, upon the reinstatement, Stevenson was authorized to remain in office until the appeals process is completed. The student court must submit a written opinion within 10 school days of the hearing, or by Nov. 27, just shy of Thanksgiving break. If the court upholds Zenghetti 's decision, Stevenson must clear out her desk the day that the opinion is given. However, if the court decides that Stevenson is in the right, she will remain as student government president. To illustrate her point that the student constitution contained a number of vague generalizations and was open to a number of interpretations, Stevenson asked Zenghetti to read every selection see PRESIDENT page 11
"There was no intent upon myself to deceive or to get around what the constitution stated. But no one directed me to interpret it otherwise."
-Stephanie Stevenson
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John McDonough/The METROPOLITAN
MOMENT OF REFLECTION: Stephanie Stevenson pauses to collect her thoughts before her closing argument in Wednesday's hearing.
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