Since the end of the fall semester, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) has lost all of its representatives on Sub-Board I, Inc.'s (SBI) Executive Board.
At the beginning of the academic year, GSA held two of the four executive positions while the Undergraduate Student Association (SA) held the other two.
Through a series of elections and successions, SA now holds all four executive positions for the first time in SBI's 38-year history, according to current SBI President Gregory Stern.
SBI is a student-owned, not-for-profit corporation that provides services such as health education and medical insurance to the student body, and is the fiscal agent for the student activity fee.
GSA lost the vice presidential position in the fall after Leslie Meister resigned from both the position and UB, and former SBI Secretary Stern won the election.
After GSA representatives lost the vice president and secretary elections, GSA President Rachel Dwyer suddenly removed Razy Kased from his position as SBI president.
Kased believes that his dismissal from office was the last link of a chain of position changes that did not go in GSA's favor.
"GSA lost the VP position, and she blamed that on me," Kased said. "If the other governments are voting in the favor of another government besides GSA, I can't do anything...they (GSA) felt that I could have done something more."
Kased believes the situation arose because of Dwyer's personal motives.
"I think she wanted to make a statement to me, and seeing the different titles and different positions I held, maybe that was something that was most readily available that can discredit my name," said Kased, who also holds positions on the SUNY Assembly, Student-Wide Judiciary and Geography GSA, and was vice president of SBI last year. "She tried to humiliate me, tried to discredit my name, tried to attack my character, and that's all I know."
While Dwyer claims that Kased did not fulfill his job duties, those involved in SBI recognize "the leadership, dedication and performance of Razy Kased at the duration of his tenure as President," as stated in a letter from the SBI Executive Board to the Board of Directors.
"In my opinion, he wasn't doing his job and he wasn't representing the best interest of graduate students," said Dwyer, who by constitutional right is the only one who can decide to remove appointed representatives from boards or committees.
Many sources close to the situation pointed out that the job of SBI President is three-fold; he or she must represent all six governments and all of their student bodies, while bringing the perspective of the government that appointed them to the E-board, and keeping the best interest of the corporation in mind.
"You have to make sure you look at everything objectively and nobody is getting too much or too little," Stern said.
Bill Hooley, executive director of SBI, called Kased "a fair, objective manager."
Stern was upset to find out that Kased was removed from office, and thinks the reasons behind it were "trivial political things."
"He was doing his job [and] doing what he was supposed to do...It was really sad when he had to go and it was because of politics," Stern said. "When he was taken off, it was tough for the Board to continue projects."
As a result of the SBI Executive Board's letter, the Board of Directors appointed Kased as advisor and chair emeritus for the E-board through May 15.
"That was a token of respect and appreciation from the Board of Directors, that understood that this was not a move based on performance," Kased said.
Dwyer did not vote against the resolution.
"The E-board felt like they needed his advice, and if that's what they needed to do, then I didn't vote against it," she said.
Kased accepted the position because he wants to follow through with the projects and responsibilities he has taken on since he started in May 2007.
"My own style of leadership is to do the work unconditionally," Kased said. "For her to attack me the way she did was disheartening...I see how someone can try to cut someone's drive and activism, but I didn't allow that."
Hooley said Kased was offered a volunteer position because he was involved in projects in several areas, including medical insurance.
"He certainly had an insight and an interest in a number of programs he was working on," Hooley said. "Because he was so involved, it made sense to have him continue them. His knowledge was key."
Hooley also thinks highly of Kased's work on the managerial end.
"As president, I think he fulfilled his responsibilities to the corporation in terms of managing affairs between board meetings, being involved, interacting with staff, visiting our various departments, sitting on committees, coming in and signing purchase orders and documents on a timely basis," Hooley said. "So I think he was very effective."
In a letter of termination to Kased, Dwyer listed many general reasons for the dismissal, but would not offer any further details during an interview.
Dwyer said a "series of discussions" took place between her and Kased. Yet Kased maintains that she never approached him about her concerns.
Before removing Kased from the SBI president position, Dwyer and Annika Hagley, GSA election committee chair, would not allow him to present SBI and SUNY Assembly-related information during a senate meeting on Feb. 6. Dwyer alleged that Kased had expressed interest in running for a position on GSA's Executive Board, and proceeded to read through his slides herself.
"He asked me to be on his ticket," said Dwyer, who recently pulled out of the GSA elections so she could focus on her research.
However, Kased is graduating in September, and never submitted paperwork declaring his candidacy. In addition, he said he never asked Dwyer to share the ballot.
"How can you say I'm an interested candidate?" Kased said. "That's such a subjective point of view and such a biased move that they made, and nobody defended me."
Kased said that Dwyer encouraged him to write a letter for The Echo, the graduate magazine, and speak about SBI and SUNY Assembly issues to the GSA senate. Dwyer said in an interview that she told Kased she would support his decision to run for a GSA Executive Board position.
"They denied me from speaking about Sub Board as well as SUNY Assembly," Kased said. "I just wanted to speak to the graduate students, get their feedback, get their input because in the end I'm in the position for the best interest of the graduate students."
According to Hooley, it isn't unusual for the SBI president to speak during student government meetings.
Dwyer also said that Kased attempted to promote himself and his supposed campaign in his submission to The Echo. Dwyer and Stephen Krysty, the magazine's editor, decided not to publish Kased's article although it was submitted on time, Kased said.
"I don't know if she set me up, I just know the end result," Kased said.
In his letter of termination, Dwyer alleged that Kased accepted "gifts in the form of open bar tabs from Student Association leadership" - a charge that Kased calls a complete lie.
Dwyer declined to comment about the evidence behind this claim.
Dwyer felt GSA could be better represented on the Board of Directors level.
"I felt that it was better to have three representatives that were working for graduate students' best interest than having one that wasn't," Dwyer said. "When somebody's not working in graduate students' best interest, even if they are in an E-board position, then it kind of negates the point."
GSA is allotted three positions on the 13-person Board of Directors. Now, all three members are on the Board of Directors and SA has full control over the Executive Board.
This situation will make working together "difficult," according to Dwyer.
"In general, in almost everything else outside of Sub-Board, there aren't any problems because our interests coincide really well with SA, but sometimes within SA, graduate students' interests aren't the same as the undergraduate student interests," Dwyer said.
Stern said he wouldn't have made the same decision.
"Objectively, I feel that Rachel made a pretty big mistake," Stern said. "You want somebody to represent you no matter what."
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
