Updated Friday, 10:30 p.m.
Brandon Eickel, Student Government Association president, will announce his resignation at Tuesday's SGA meeting.
"In the best interests of the JMU student body and the Student Government Association, I have decided to resign as Student Body President, effective at the SGA Senate meeting on September 18, 2007.” Eickel said. “It is my hope that this decision will allow the SGA to renew its focus in helping students."
This decision comes after Eickel admitted to taking aspects of his 2007 spring platform from the student assembly campaigns of Zach Pilchen and Valerie Hopkins of William and Mary.
The SGA Executive Council responded with an official statement:
"We, the Executive Council of the Student Government Association, give our full support of Brandon Eickel's decision to resign as Student Body President. First and foremost, Brandon is a student who has always committed to being a public servant for this university from the day he set foot on campus. His decision to resign did not come lightly. We honor his choice and we know if was made for the good of the SGA and the student body. We believe he has dealt with the public scrutiny exceptionally. We view Brandon as an extraordinary leader and we believe he will continue to be the change on campus without the title as President of the Student Government Association. We would ask that the student body of James Madison University respect Brandon, the difficult decision he has made and work to move beyond the issue at hand."
-from staff reports
Previous article:
Eickel remains in office despite SGA bill of censure condemning his actions
Posted on September 13, 2007
Updated Friday, 1:30p.m.
Among hugs, handshakes and high-fives, Brandon Eickel celebrated his victory over impeachment at Tuesday’s SGA Senate meeting.
The decision not to impeach followed a three-hour debate in which members of the Senate argued for and against taking action against Eickel. In a violation of section 2.2-3710 of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, the organization voted via secret ballot. While the vote counts were not released, the majority voted against impeachment. As the impeachment measure was not passed, it cannot be brought up again.
While a move toward impeachment was not granted, a bill of censure, written and proposed by Senior Class President Katelyn Grant, was passed and approved by a majority vote.
“By censuring (officially reprimanding) Mr. Eickel we are saying that we do not approve of his actions,” Grant said.
The bill stated that the SGA recognizes that Eickel’s actions were in the wrong, and that he has compromised the student body’s confidence in the organization. According to the censure, Eickel’s actions are not supported by the SGA.
While the bill passed, it was not without debate.
Most speakers said that Eickel should have given proper recognition to Zach Pilchen and Valerie Hopkins of William and Mary for using their ideas, but some said that they thought Eickel’s attempt to bring ideas from other schools was a good one.
“I think that borrowing ideas from other schools is a wonderful idea,” junior class treasurer Tara Rife said. “I think this is a very strong action.”
Senator Matt Jones disagreed.
“A president elected under false pretenses, regardless of his intent, should be held responsible for their actions,” Jones said. He later added, “Many students were embarrassed. A censure bill will not appease them.”
There was further debate as to how much weight the bill would carry. While some senators felt that the censure was not enough of a punishment, others felt that it was a fair one.
“I don’t think this is a strong enough slap on the wrist for Mr. Eickel,” Senator Tommy Bluestein said. “[A censure] is not enough.”
Senator Jeff Watson agreed, saying that as leaders of the student government, they should hold themselves to higher standards.
“We are an organization comprised of students who have made the choice to step up and lead this campus to success,” he said. “We have been charged as leaders to lead by ordinance, and to lead by example. It is our responsibility to this institution to do well and faithfully discharge the duties of our office.”
Senator Bekah Reiter disagreed.
“This bill is not a slap on the wrist,” she said. “It’s very harsh.”
Executive Treasurer Robert Burden agreed.
“We execs think this is a serious piece of paper,” he said.
While the censure bill passed, it was not enough for Watson. After voting, he motioned to form an investigative committee for impeachment. If agreed upon by 51 percent of senators the Speaker of the Senate, Stefanie DiDomenico, would have had to select members to look into the situation. The members, who could be chosen from inside and outside the SGA, would have two weeks to gather evidence for a hearing. Eickel would have temporarily lost his chair to the Vice President of Administrative Affairs, Andy Gibson, until the hearing, and if found guilty would lose his chair permanently. At that point, another election would be held to fill the position.
This too was not without debate.
One of the biggest concerns of the SGA was that an impeachment would put a hold on their proceedings or cause a rift in the organization. Eickel agreed.
“I came into this meeting knowing I could potentially make their decision,” he said. “I would have removed myself if it would have gone that far.”
Senator Charles Shaw agreed.
“If we do this student government will not run as smoothly,” he said.
Others, however, felt that it would be more detrimental to the student body to not investigate the matter further.
“I am sorry that an investigation would be inconvenient to you,” Stacy Fuller, student representative to the Board of Visitors, said. “I’m sure the rest of the university isn’t worried about the inconvenience.”
She added that censuring without investigation is an incomplete process.
Jones seemed to agree.
“Any delay would be caused by the actions that transpired last semester,” Jones said.
Other senators disagreed with impeachment because they felt Eickel had been punished enough for his actions.
“We feel that if we have already censured him that is enough,” Burden said.
Senator Lee Brooks agreed.
“That is public humiliation and that is a consequence,” he said.
But others say Eickel has not felt the full repercussions of his actions.
“If you pass this bill you’re saying what you think,” Fuller said. “Well I don’t particularly care what [the SGA] thinks and no one else does either. What you think has little consideration and no consequence to what is happening on campus. If we are going to talk about what you do, that is a slightly different story. What you do, or do not do, will matter.”
Jones agreed.
“We need to look toward action,” he said, adding that the SGA shouldn’t just take a quick
and easy way out of the situation.
Despite varying opinions, Eickel said that he has learned his lesson.
“I can honestly say I have learned more from making this mistake than I have from any other class at JMU,” he said.
Some senators, however, are trying to take matters into their own hands.
“I’m resigning my post as a senator in response to this and calling for a protest of the
SGA by other senators who disagree with the decision to resign as well,” Brian Tynan said, adding that he will be calling students to sit in on meetings until the issue is addressed again.
The Board of Visitors may be the next to address the issue, as they are scheduled to meet on Sept. 28. While they might discuss what happened, it does not look as though action will be taken.
Mark Warner, senior vice president of student affairs, said, “The Board of Visitors respects the tenets of student government and would not intervene.”
_________
Other pieces you might also be interested in:
9.14.07
The Flat Hat - News, JMU votes no impeachment for plagiarism
The Flat Hat - Opinion, Eickel must resign
9.13.07
The Breeze - News, SGA breaks legal procedure
The Breeze - Opinion, House Editorial: The defeat of scholastic virtue
The Breeze - Multimedia, AUDIO: SGA Censure Debate
The Breeze - Multimedia, SLIDESHOW: SGA Meeting
9.10.07
The Breeze - Opinion, SGA president does disservice to university
9.06.07
The Breeze - News, Campaign initiatives not Eickel's own
The Breeze - Opinion, House Editorial: Eickel's Apology
The Flat Hat - News, JMU's student government president takes platform from Pilchen
8.27.07
The Breeze - Opinion, Letters to the editor
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