Senate Elections Kick Off

The Student Wide-Judiciary ruled in favor of four State University of New York Student Assembly delegates, thereby allowing them to run in the undergraduate Student Association Senate elections this week.

At issue was whether the four SUNY SA delegates, Dennis Febo, Khristin Pietraszewski, Cheryl Rozario and May Wong, members of the Focus Party, were eligible to run for seats on the SA Senate, part of the legislative branch of SA, despite accusations their positions were part of the executive branch of SA.

"The Court has interpreted the SA Constitution to read that the SUNY SA delegates are indeed a part of the Executive Branch of the Student Association," wrote Justice Jodi McGrath in the opinion of the Court. "However, upon in-depth examination, the Court has found there to be negligible risk for conflict of interest in this case."

The decision, based on what the SWJ saw was a lack of evidence supporting a conflict of interest claim by plaintiff Duncan Stanley, concluded a constitutional amendment to clear up such future situations is "strongly suggest(ed)."

Stanley, a member of the Unity Party running for the Senate, has since withdrawn from the race, citing what he sees as a "lack of accountability in student government."

"I'm not going to be part of a government that overlooks their own constitution and SUNY guidelines," Stanley said.

"SWJ justices are appointed by the president (SA President George Pape)," said Stanley. "He's not going to appoint justices that are not on the ball. They're going to play his game."

The SUNY SA delegates said they had little doubt the ruling would be in their favor.

"I was not really surprised," said Wong. "He didn't have enough evidence, but I was confident we would win anyway."

"Their complaint was legitimate," Rozario said. "I had no problem with it, I know people were concerned about SUNY SA delegates running, but our arguments are valid, our only tie to the executive branch is George Pape, who is automatically a SUNY SA delegate."

"We have no powers in the executive branch," said Febo. "Our relationship comes from Pape, and the only way we can communicate with the statewide level is through SA."

Andrew Royce, the Focus Party member and former Unity Party member who Stanley said orchestrated the suit against the four delegates, has withdrawn his Senate candidacy.

Royce, a member of College Republicans with Stanley, joined the Focus Party ticket initially as a way to bring a Republican constituency on board, according to Febo.

Febo said many people in the party were suspicious of Royce to begin with, but that he gave a speech in which he pledged his loyalty and dedication to the Focus platform, which convinced everyone involved that he was for real.

"Stanley and Royce started the Unity Party, and they saw the Focus Party as competition," said Febo. "Then we found that Royce wanted to join the Focus Party, a lot of things were a little funny, but we need his constituency. He said he had nothing to do with (Stanley), but he was in cahoots with him and tried to set himself up to be the Senate Chair."

In a conversation held over America Online Instant Messenger, Royce and Stanley allegedly plotted to remove the SUNY SA delegates from the ticket through legal action while Royce was a member of their party.

Royce claimed he did not know that the conversations were being logged.

"I'm going to investigate my possibilities with what Stanley did," he said. "He's the Linda Tripp of the University at Buffalo."

Rozario said she confronted Royce Monday when he arrived to a Focus Party meeting to turn in his letter of withdrawal and asked him why he had orchestrated a suit to remove his own party members. Royce reportedly responded, "politics."

"I'm involved to do good and make a difference," said Febo. "And he says politics is why he did what he did. Well, I'm in politics too, and now it gives politics a bad name."

"I had no idea anyone would do something like that out of malice," Rozario said. "The complaint was brought up from a malicious plot, he wanted to win Senate chairman and he wanted the delegates off the ticket so he could get his own people there."

Royce said no malice was intended in his action, and he believed he had the student's best interests at heart.

"Let's say America wouldn't have won the American Revolution if Benedict Arnold hadn't won any battles," said Royce. "Am I turncoat? Let's just say I had student's interests at heart, and maybe the means don't justify the ends, but I think it's the only way to restore power truly back to UB students."

Royce said his split with the Focus Party began when he realized that another member of his party also had their eyes on the Senate chairman position.

"The position of senator has very little power, the only position I had any interest in was Senate chair," he said.

To make up for the empty slot on the Focus Party ticket, the Focus Party has endorsed independent candidate Clayton Rozario, vice president of Clement Hall Council, and younger brother of Cheryl Rozario.