2008 Woodie Awards
SGA President faces impeachment
President Carter has been charged with deriliction of duties and misallocation of funds
Chris Crankshaw
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: News
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Just before the meeting adjourned, Swafford presented his impeachment article.
Swafford and senior senator of the SGA, Shane Burkes, co-wrote the article.
Swafford said that he began thinking about writing the article about a month ago because "I was just got sick of him not being a good president."
In the article, Swafford claims that Carter is guilty of dereliction of duties, willful violation of the Constitution and the misallocation of funds.
Swafford claims that Carter has spent SGA money without the approval of the finance and budget committee.
In fact, there wasn't a finance and budget committee in operation until Friday.
According to the SGA Constitution, it's the secretary of the treasury who is responsible for appointing the committee.
Sabrina Swafford, no relation to James Swafford, is the secretary of the treasury under the Carter Administration.
"I wasn't appointed to my position until about a month after the SGA had started, and I was not given many instructions on what to do," said Sabrina Swafford.
James Swafford's argument is that it was Carter's responsibility to tell his secretary of the treasury what her responsibilities were and that it was also Carter's duty to see that those committees are created and that the constitution is being followed at all times.
James Swafford also claims that Carter is guilty of not appointing an attorney general. The attorney general has many responsibilities, such as heading the judiciary committee.
The attorney general also mediates student parking ticket complaints to the campus police.
The last charge against Carter is that he has failed to keep his minimum of five office hours as required in the Constitution.
James Swafford, Sabrina Swafford and Carter's own vice-president Dean Baumgardner claim that the President is never in his office and that he has no posted office hours.
"I've got mine posted for anybody who needs me," said Baumgardner.
After the article was read to the attending members of the student government, they were each handed a copy of the article.
Student Dominique Evans suggested that James Swafford should explain the charges to the student government and also, to be fair, Carter should excuse himself from the meeting while the charges were explained.
After Carter left, James Swafford, Burkes and Baumgardner openly took questions from students curious about the charges.
After the discussion, the members voted unanimously to have an impeachment hearing.
The meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 3, in the Rochelle Center. It will take place at 12:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
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