It's the principle of the thing, really.
By not ruling on the charges Pelkey and his Reform Our Campus party made regarding ethical violations made by Mazin Kased last semester, SA administration completely discounted its responsibility to the student body. Holding back on the charges against Kased - whether they believe them valid or not - is an admission of guilt, and not addressing it could shadow the administration all year.
During last year's SA elections, charges of bribery and slander were brought against Mazin Kased. He was caught on tape offering Francisco Baiocchi a job within the SA in return for dropping out of the race. Regardless of the ethical issues involved of recording conversations without one's consent, which is legal in New York, the controversy should have been resolved long ago. Some speculated that the initial delay in a ruling regarding the charges brought forth was because then-SA committee chair Joe Varghese, who is evaluates ethical election issues, was a graduating senior and he simply didn't have the time to oversee the case. This is no excuse. Varghese was paid to do this job and should have settled the case before moving on. His inaction has led to exactly what those who brought the charges predicted: a delay in ruling that has all but absolved Kased and the Elevation Party of all responsibility in the issue.
There is a perception by many students that the SA is a close-knit club that is more concerned with itself than the students they are elected to represent. While this is not necessarily true, the inaction surrounding the charges gives validity to that perception. Initially, a ruling was promised quickly, and then pushed to the end of the summer. It has now been over six months, and fortunately ROC candidate Matt Pelkey has taken matters into his own hands, petitioning to bring the charges to the Student Judiciary Committee himself and circumvent the SA altogether. While this is not standard procedure, the process is a part of the SA constitution.
The problem is that there appears to be no checks and balances within the SA to effectively deal with this situation. Pelkey's actions will inevitably lead to more questions than answers and this is detrimental to everyone involved. SA should have resolved this last year, and the continued delay in this decision does not inspire confidence in those who are currently leading it. Rules are rules, and if Kased truly believes he didn't break any rules, he should be more than willing to defend himself before his peers. Blatantly ignoring the charges shows a complete disconnect with governmental rules. Far greater politicians have been brought down this way. Innocent or not, Kased should be concerned about Pelkey's actions, as the ROC party has a case.
The SA has a constitution for a reason: not only to protect itself, but also to protect the rights and concerns of the greater student body. If Pelkey is right and Kased goes unpunished, SA's authority has its legs cut out from under it. It's not that people should be rooting for Kased's downfall, but the charges against him are serious. If Pelkey is proven wrong and Kased is acquitted in due process, the checks and balances of the SA constitution will be considered just as solid. Blowing them off, however, only compromises its strength, along with confidence in SA.
