Former Associate Students of Colorado State University President Josh Silva filed an appeal for his impeachment prior to the start of CSU’s winter break, citing violations of the ASCSU Impeachment Procedures.
“It boils down to one thing: the entire thing was wrong,” Silva said. “My character was defamed in an incredible way. There wasn’t a single moment I felt like I was treated respectfully… (and) there was no due process.”
In November, the ASCSU Senate voted to remove Silva from his position as the student body president with a vote of 22-4-0.
The impeachment process began at the first senate session in August, when Sen. Cerridwyn Nordstrom brought forward a petition to impeach Silva. Nordstrom and other senators claimed that Silva violated the ASCSU Constitution because he failed to inform the senate body of a contract that would bring the Wall Street Journal to campus.
The initial petition was unable to move forward, since it was not finalized within a week of being submitted to the senate body. Nordstrom brought forward a second impeachment petition that included accusations of Silva harassing and discriminating against members of ASCSU, but it was unable to move forward as CSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity began its own investigation.
The third and final impeachment petition against Silva removed the accusations of harassment and discrimination since ASCSU and the OEO could not conduct dual investigations.
In his letter to the ASCSU Supreme Court, Silva wrote that violations of the impeachment procedures occurred during the submission of all three impeachment petitions. Silva outlined specific violations in each step of the impeachment procedures, such as the impeachment committee failing to provide voting members with reasonable time to read through evidence when a senator asked for more time.
According to the ASCSU Code of Ethics and Internal Discipline Process, a member of ASCSU may appeal the decision of a hearing on the following grounds: The process was not followed properly, new information or evidence, or inappropriate or excessive sanctions. A panel of ASCSU Supreme Court justices who did not sit on the initial hearing will be formed.
Silva said he doubts that the ASCSU Supreme Court could remain unbiased, due to a member of the ASCSU Supreme Court submitting a Letter to the Editor to the Collegian in response to the Board of Governor’s open letter regarding Silva’s impeachment.
“I have serious doubts that the ASCSU Supreme Court (could remain fair),” Silva said.
ASCSU Chief of Staff Eddie Kendall said he felt that the Supreme Court would give Silva a right to a fair appeals trial.
“If Josh is entitled to an appeal, I’m confident the court will give him his fair say,” Kendall wrote in a statement to the Collegian. “But, I know everyone, Josh included, would agree that we shouldn’t let this get between us and the job we were brought here to do, serve students any way we know how under any circumstance.”
Kendall said that while members of the executive branch would most likely not be affected by Silva’s appeal, the organization will continue to serve students at CSU.
“Our student leader’s duties are to always identify how to better serve students and to do so regardless of who is in charge,” Kendall wrote. “Passing judgment on the appeal is beyond our control as executives.”
Collegian News Director Haley Candelario can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @H_Candelario98.
