At the Student Government Association’s meeting on Oct. 23, Chief Justice Jeff Martin voiced displeasure with the publication of Jacob Korff’s title, SGA vice president, next to his name in The Horizon’s police blotter.
The entry appeared in the Oct. 20 edition of The Horizon.
Martin encouraged all members of SGA to take action.
“If this keeps going, [The Horizon] picking and choosing who gets published as far as student affiliations, we could get hurt. It could really hurt us bad, so I think you all should take this up as an issue,” Martin said.
“They should look at the student, not who they are affiliated with,” Martin said.
Korff was arrested on Oct. 10 for operating while intoxicated, with a blood-alcohol level of .09, at the corner of Grant Line Road and Klerner Lane.
Martin said, while in class, he asked if any of his fellow students knew Korff or his position, to which, Martin said they replied no.
Martin said more than likely, no one would have known Korff was the SGA vice president if his title had not been next to his name in the police blotter.
“If we’re going to do it with SGA, we should do it with all positions of leadership, like if the captain of the IUS chess team or a student on the dean’s list got arrested. Why don’t they publish that? Those would both be titles that elevate people, you know what I mean?” Martin said.
Korff, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said he would not have cared if his affiliation with the fraternity would have been published next to his name in the police blotter, but he said he was upset that his position of SGA vice president was next to his name.
“I felt it was unfair that my position in SGA was placed next to my name in the police blotter, because it was 3 a.m., I was dropping a buddy off at the dorms and I was not representing SGA in any way at the time, so I don’t feel I should be in the police blotter as a member of the SGA,” Korff said.
Flo Gonya, SGA President, said that she has still been receiving complaints regarding the food service quality of the IUS Food Court.
“The most common complaint is still food size in comparison to price and food quality. One young lady told me she got a scoop of pasta from the hot line yesterday, and, when she sat down to eat it, it was cold,” Gonya said.
Gonya said, starting this week, she will buy members of the SGA lunch and weigh their food to judge the validity of the complaints she has received.
“We need to validate these complaints or shut them down as having no credibility,” Gonya said.
In other business at the meeting, SGA treasurer, James Bonsall, and senate chair, Josh Sesar, introduced a bill which would give the SGA discretion on whether or not they want to go into executive session while discussing voting in members of the SGA.
Previously, SGA members were forced, under old bylaws, to go into executive session when voting on or discussing another member’s position, acceptance or disciplinary action.
They now have the option to make these proceedings public or enter into executive session.
The SGA police blotter committee, led by student senator and police blotter chair Jonathan Moody, will be handing out surveys in front of the SGA office in University Center South, room 024, Oct. 27-30 in an effort to gauge student satisfaction or dissatisfaction concerning the publication of the IUS Police Blotter in The Horizon.
“We would like to get as many surveys passed out as possible,” Moody said.
Also, Lee Allen, Melissa Lamanna and Amber Townsend were named probationary senators.
Ruben Otero and Richard Sinnock were sworn in as associate justices of the SGA judicial branch.
By MICHAEL MARCELL
Staff Writer
mdmarcel@ius.edu