GS Deans Uphold Niko Cunningham’s Impeachment

After several days of review, the office of School of General Studies Dean of Students Mary McGee announced Friday that it would uphold the impeachment of General Studies Student Council President Niko Cunningham.

“Based on our review of the matter and the information we gathered, we found no evidence that there was a violation of the constitution or the rules, and I communicated this to Mr. Cunningham,” McGee wrote in an e-mail sent out to GS students Friday evening.

GSSC members voted to impeach Cunningham during Tuesday’s council meeting, but Cunningham contested the vote, calling it a “farce” and “unconstitutional.” He argued that there had not been a quorum at the meeting, and that any vote held during it had therefore been illegitimate.

Including Cunningham, there were 16 members at the council meeting when junior class VP Karly Curcio made a motion to remove Cunningham from office through impeachment, the second such motion in two weeks.

“The GS constitution requires a quorum for such a vote, and a two-thirds majority is needed for the motion to pass,” McGee wrote. “Fifteen members constitute a quorum of this 22-member voting body, and it was reported to me that twelve people voted in favor of impeachment and three against.”

“By this vote, Mr. Cunningham was impeached,” she said in the e-mail.

McGee and Associate Dean of Students Dominic Stellini met with Cunningham and other GS leaders following Tuesday’s hotly contested impeachment, and McGee said that they “took Mr. Cunningham’s concerns seriously,” regarding questions about the meeting procedures and the validity of the vote.

Cunningham had compared the impeachment to a “firing squad,” and prior to the announcement, he expressed confidence in his appeal. Incidentally, many of the members who left early on in the meeting were those who had voted against his impeachment at the first hearing, leaving a majority who were in favor of removing Cunningham from office. Opponents of the impeachment have described it as an underhanded maneuver, while proponents stood by its legitimacy.

With Cunningham removed from power, Vice President of Policy Nancy Saunders will step in as acting president for the remainder of the year.

“I have met with her [Saunders] to discuss the remaining work to be done by the GSSC as this academic year winds down,” McGee wrote.

Saunders said that her most immediate focus would be on the upcoming GSSC candidate debates, which are scheduled to be held at Tuesday’s meeting. She also reiterated her commitment to constructing a manual for future GSSC members, as well as ongoing efforts for improved GS financial aid.

alix.pianin@columbiaspectator.com