A discriminatory miscommunication became an issue for the Student Government Association after a student claimed she was not allowed into the organization because of discrimination.
Yana Baker, political science freshman, applied to be a senator in the SGA but was allegedly turned down because two members of the SGA were uncomfortable with her being in the organization.
“I felt like it was discrimination, but it was more or less a miscommunication,” Baker said.
The only requirements a student must meet to be a senator in the SGA, according to the organization’s bylaws, are to be officially admitted to IU Southeast and to have a grade point average of a 2.0 — except in the case of first-semester freshmen.
“An applicant comes and speaks to the nomination committee, which has a representative from each branch,” Tristan Williamson, SGA vice president and English and religious studies junior, said.
After the student gets voted through by the nomination committee, they become a probationary officer and are assigned a mentor.
“It’s just to show them the ropes on parliamentary procedures,” Williamson said.
After they are assigned to a mentor, they serve office hours and learn all of the procedures and bylaws along with the constitution of the SGA.
At the end of the two weeks, they are voted in by the entire senate.
Baker never got past the nomination committee. Allegedly, she was voted down because two members said they were uncomfortable with her.
“This campus has always been very diverse, but I feel like it’s very hostile this year,” Baker said.
Aaron Neely, psychology sophomore and president of the Student Veteran Organization, came to the meeting to support Baker’s appeal to the SGA. He said the matter needs to be handled sensitively, and the main issue is a lack of professionalism.
“If people are going to be setting this standard, they need to be meeting that standard, too,” Neely said.
According to the IU Student Code of Conduct, any student has the right to be free from any discrimination, including age, race, gender or sexual orientation. The university will not exclude a student from joining any programs or activities based on any of those characteristics.
“This is the land of the free,” Neely said, “where you can be who you want to be.”
Following an executive session, which was not open to the public, Baker was approved to become a probationary officer and given an apology on behalf of the SGA.
Ruth Garvey-Nix, vice chancellor of Student Affairs, was asked to attend the executive session on Thursday.
Garvey-Nix said the decision to call an executive session in the middle of the SGA meeting was because the allegation of discrimination was sensitive, and they wanted to deal with it confidentially.
“Executive sessions are usually dealing with an allegation of wrongdoing within the SGA,” she said.
Garvey-Nix said she wasn’t aware of an appeal from a student to the SGA in almost six years.
While the details of the executive session were not open to the public, some of the members, including Williamson and SGA Pro Temp Justin Mller, psychology and sociology sophomore, said they felt it was necessary to get as much information out to the public as was allowed by the organization’s bylaws.
“It’s our responsibility as a part of the SGA,” Miller said. “The students have a right to know if someone is being discriminated against. If they ever have a complaint about something that has to do with feeling prejudiced, they’re not going to want to come to us.”
According to a press release, the issues with the miscommunication have been resolved, and they are pleased to get past this difficulty.
“I’m really excited to be working with the SGA,” Baker said. “I want to use my talents to impart change on this campus, and I feel like I’ll really get that chance with the SGA.”
By AMANDA
CHIAMULERA
Staff
alchiamu@umail.iu.edu