Despite settlement offers from both the Elevation '05 and Reform Our Campus parties, the case against Student Association treasurer-elect Mazin Kased remains at a standstill over a week after charges of bribery, slander and perjury were filed with the Student Association Election and Credentials committee.
Reform Our Campus offered a settlement late last week in which Kased would either resign his position or face the Student-wide Judiciary alone for investigation.
Elevation '05 rejected the offer and submitted a counter-offer that all the charges be dropped if Kased issues a public apology and performs community services hours.
The Reform Our Campus party immediately rejected those terms.
Both groups will now go before the SA Election and Credentials committee this week for a fact-finding inquiry in which the validity of all charges will be contested.
"We're just trying to reach a settlement before the inquiry, because attorneys are being brought in," said Reform Our Campus member Elizabeth Salzman.
"Our settlement offer is as bare-bones as it can get, it will not get changed at all," said fellow party member Matthew Pelkey. "They'll either accept the settlement or it's going to (the Student-wide Judiciary) for all of the charges filed against everyone."
Reform Our Campus members also filed a charge of an illegal SA endorsement of Elevation '05. All of the charges revolve around a taped conversation in which Kased offered Reform Our Campus candidate Francisco Baiocchi a job with SA next year if he were to drop from the election and turn on his fellow party members.
Kased has called the charges are baseless and, in response, filed a counter-charge of bribery against Baiocchi.
Pelkey's charge of perjury also brings SA President Anthony Burgio into the mix.
"Burgio told the Spectrum that he didn't have anything to do with Mazin's conversation with Francisco, but Mazin said on the tape that Burgio sent him to take care of that," Salzman said. "Obviously, one of them is lying, thus committing perjury."
According to Lorenzo Guzman, coordinator for Special Interest, Service, and Hobby Clubs Council, if any member of the Elevation '05 party is found guilty of any of the charges, the entire party will be held accountable.
"If Mazin is convicted of any of these charges, he'll be expelled from the election and lose his position," Guzman said. "If that happens, his entire party will be expelled from the election and they'll lose their positions as well. The positions will then default to the next winners."
President-elect Dela Yador and vice president-elect Sonia Kang ran unopposed in the election, leaving nobody to fill their positions if the SA committee or Student-wide Judiciary makes such a ruling.
Yador said that he isn't too concerned about that possibility.
"It's a little nerve-racking, but we've got a job to do right now and we're concentrating on that," he said. "We're taking strides and working towards a stronger SA for next year. This is halting the process. Instead of worrying about creating stronger SA, we're worrying about this other party trying to take us out."
In a move that some say relates to the pending charges, Pelkey, president of the College Republicans, recently received a letter stating that his club's budget has been reduced to zero for the coming year.
"I think this is directly related to the (Reform Our Campus party)," said Duncan Stanley, treasurer for the College Republicans. "This cut in our budget is a bit more than a slight oversight. It's ridiculous."
According to SA Treasurer Jessica Dangler, the letter was a mistake and should not have been sent in the first place.
"I didn't approve the letter, it shouldn't have even been printed. (The College Republicans) should get their money next year, if I have anything to say about it," she said.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
