The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Print Edition
Letter to the editor submissions
Have a strong opinion about something happening on campus or in Fort Collins? Want to respond to an article written on The Collegian? Write a Letter to the Editor by following the guidelines here.
Follow Us on Twitter
Crypto Exchange Listing: Types of Exchanges and Compliance Requirements
March 25, 2024

The crypto industry continues to evolve, fueled by the increasing institutional adoption of crypto. Today, numerous companies are entering the...

ASCSU upholds decision to not ratify executive cabinet member accused of doxxing, racist social media post

Editor’s note: CJ Ash writes opinion columns for The Collegian.

Editor’s note: The Collegian is not publishing the Reddit screenshots due to ethical concerns that the images will cause harm to others

Ad

The Senate body of the Associated Students of Colorado State University upheld their decision to not ratify the candidate for deputy director of governmental affairs during a special Senate session held May 16.

CJ Ash, the candidate for deputy director of governmental affairs, was not ratified by the Senate for a second time, with a secret ballot vote of 6 yes votes, 8 no votes and 1 abstention.

man speaking
ASCSU Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs candidate CJ Ash gives a statement to senators at the special Senate session on May 16. The session was held after the Senate did not ratify Ash following allegations of doxxing and a racist social media post. (Rebecca Eisele | Collegian)

Ash was the only executive cabinet candidate not ratified by the Senate during the May 2 session. The Senate had concerns regarding Ash’s ability to represent constituents after members of Students Against White Supremacy alleged that Ash doxxed a member of their organization and alleged that Ash made a racist post on Reddit, which senators considered racist towards people who identify as Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander. 

Ash appealed the Senate’s decision to the ASCSU Supreme Court, who unanimously approved his appeal due to concerns regarding the ratification process on May 2. ASCSU Chief Justice Madison Taylor said the Supreme Court believed sections of the ASCSU Declaration of Rights and the ASCSU Code of Ethics were not followed.

“It’s important to note that the Court’s ruling on this matter does not override the Senate’s decision,” Taylor said. “Furthermore, the Court’s ruling does not imply the vote should go one way or another. Rather, this decision simply voices the Court’s concerns over violations and refers it back to the Senate for further consideration.”

ASCSU President Tristan Syron asked the Senate to disregard the Reddit post because he was advised by the Office of Equal Opportunity to disregard social media posts when he conducted interviews for members of his executive cabinet in order to give a fair evaluation to all applicants.

“We need to evaluate (if it’s) fair that we are looking at one person’s (social media) instead of another, in that OEO fair evaluations things to consider,” Syron said. “(The question on the floor tonight) is not, ‘Who is the most qualified person?’ It is probably simply, ‘Is the candidate before you able to perform the requirements of the job description?’ That’s the only thing you are asking yourselves.”

(The question on the floor tonight) is not, ‘Who is the most qualified person?’ It is probably simply, ‘Is the candidate before you able to perform the requirements of the job description?’” Tristan Syron, ASCSU president

Ash apologized to the Senate for the Reddit post, which he said was posted five years ago.

“I was pretty ignorant back then when it comes to matters of race and culture and ethnicity,” Ash said. “To anybody that I’ve upset or made to feel unwelcome at CSU, I sincerely apologize. I really can’t excuse it, but I hope to work forward with a better approach, with a greater understanding of how my actions can hurt people, so I’m sorry.”

Ad

Ash said he originally wanted to advocate for conservative and libertarian students, but he would focus on the needs of all students in the future.

“I have to think about the greater student body and not just conservatives,” Ash said. “That whole political side of me, whether I’m ratified or not, that’s over. It’s just going to be more of an approach for everybody.”

Collegian Editor-in-Chief Haley Candelario can be reached at editor@collegian.com or on Twitter @H_Candelario98.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

When commenting on The Collegian’s website, please be respectful of others and their viewpoints. The Collegian reviews all comments and reserves the right to reject comments from the website. Comments including any of the following will not be accepted. 1. No language attacking a protected group, including slurs or other profane language directed at a person’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social class, age, physical or mental disability, ethnicity or nationality. 2. No factually inaccurate information, including misleading statements or incorrect data. 3. No abusive language or harassment of Collegian writers, editors or other commenters. 4. No threatening language that includes but is not limited to language inciting violence against an individual or group of people. 5. No links.
All The Rocky Mountain Collegian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *