Choosing Sides

the EAGLE

SEPTEMBER 3, 2009

news 4

CHOOSING SIDES: In Student Government’s first ever impeachment trial, a variety of SG members and AU students have lined up on both sides of the issue. Here is how they break down. COMPLAINANTS AND ALLIES

RESPONDENTS AND FRIENDS Matt Handverger, Respondent, Comptroller

Jared Alves, Complainant, Senator at Large

Role in the Proceedings: Senator at large Jared Alves filed the charges against Comptroller Matt Handverger on Aug. 28., accusing the comptroller of negligence, violating the terms of summer employment and falsifying his summer time sheets. Alves is also one of three members of the Committee on Rules and Privileges and he motioned to send the charges to the full Senate. Class of 2010 Sen. Steve Dalton seconded the motion. Argument: Alves said Handverger was negligent in planning AUTO runs to Target during Welcome Week, ineffectively communicated with the Freshman Service Experience about AUTO usage and failed to purchase a new AUTO van and gather information for MacCracken on SG spending in past years. In His Words: In his opening statement, Alves listed the charges against Handverger and questioned his competence as an executive. “They [AU students] need an effective comptroller,” he said.

Role in the Proceedings: Comptroller Matt Handverger was charged with negligence under the oath of office and falsifying his timesheets by logging summer hours from home instead of from the on-campus office. Evidence includes testimonies by his colleagues, e-mails and Facebook statuses depicting his locations and goals during the summer. Argument: Handverger denied the charges, saying he worked 50 extra hours during the summer. He also defended himself against the accusations of Freshman Service Experience Coordinator Chris Guizlo, saying the AUTO problems Guizlo encountered were things that happened under previous administration. The SG bylaws do not state the word “office” in regard to mandatory summer hours. Counter Argument: President MacCracken said he believed that only hours in the office would count toward the requirements. In His Words: Handverger said he has never been derelict in his duties and is being charged on a “purely technical basis without consideration of my outstanding track record.”

Tommy Fijacko, Handverger’s Special Council

Josh Rothman, Class of 2010, Senator

Role in the Proceedings: Senator Josh Rothman, class of 2010, is Senator Jared Alves’ right-hand man in the impeachment proceedings. Rothman also motioned twice to extend the one-and-a-halfhour meeting by an additional hour. The second motion was passed. Argument: See Jared Alves. Most of Rothman’s questions focused on Handverger’s AUTO responsibilities. In His Words: “I think everything is sort of right in line with our evidence,” Rothman said. “I think everything that we’ve seen in the evidence seems to be coming out.”

Role in the Proceedings: Though not a member of the Student Government, Tommy Fijacko is attending the hearing as Handverger’s close friend and council. Argument: The charges filed against Handverger were not grounds for impeachment, Fijacko said. He defended Handverger against claims that he did a poor job running the AUTO program. Other SG members also failed to accurately record their hours by neglecting to count hours after they had met the 20-hour minimum, he said. Counter Argument: Officers are not required to record hours that exceed their minimum requirements, according to MacCracken. In His Words: “This wasn’t necessarily the most optimal process that we’d like to have, but we’re doing what we can,” Fijacko said. “I think [Tuesday night] went well for us.”

Cory Ward, Former AUTO Commissioner

Alex Prescott, Vice President

Role in the Proceedings: Vice President Alex Prescott expressed his concerns about Comptroller Matt Handverger’s summer performance to the Senate. The vice president is not allowed to bring impeachment charges, according to Anthony Dunham, Speaker of the Senate. Argument: When Prescott was in the SG executive office over the summer, he felt he did not see Handverger as much as the other executives, he said. Handverger did not have goals prepared for the expectations meeting at the beginning of the summer and he also missed a few meetings this summer, including one this past week, Prescott said. He brought his concerns to MacCracken rather than Handverger because he thought MacCracken was in a position to address the situation, according to Prescott.

Role in the Proceedings: Cory Ward spoke in favor of Comptroller Matt Handverger’s competence in office. Argument: Handverger worked about 50 hours over the requirement, Ward said. Ward also criticized Prescott for neglecting to inform Handverger that he was heading an investigation against him.

In His Words: “Matt was not the best fit for the job,” Prescott said.

Chris Guizlo, Freshmen Service Experience Coordinator

UNDECIDED

Role in the Proceedings: Freshman Service Experience Coordinator Guizlo is a witness for the complainant. Argument: Guizlo said he had difficulty reserving AUTO vans for the Freshman Service Experience Program. One of the vans had an empty gas tank and another broke down four times during FSE, he said. The AUTO program failed to notify him that his AUTO certification had expired. Counter Argument: AUTO driver applicants are told their certification will expire within one year, Comptroller Matt Handverger said. He is currently working to notify drivers whose certifications will expire this semester, but cannot notify students whose certification already expired. In His Words: When Senator Jared Alves asked Guizlo if he thought Handverger was negligent, Guizlo said there was “negligence when it comes to FSE and also on a personal level ... it made my life and my fellow coordinators’ lives harder.”

WITNESSES CALLED TO TESTIFY :

Andy MacCracken, President of Student Government Chris Guizlo, Freshman Service Experience Coordinator Alex Prescott, Vice President of Student Government Colin Meiselman, Secretary of Student Government Carol Foster, Bike Lending Director Cory Ward, Former AUTO Commissioner John Sonsalla Nirvana Habash Zach Solomon Jared Alves, Complainant, Senator at large Matt Handverger, Respondent, Comptroller Source: SG Impeachment Meeting packet

Andy MacCracken, SG President Role in the Proceedings: Student Government President Andy MacCracken is a witness for the complainant. Argument: MacCracken expressed concern with Comptroller Matt Handverger’s summer commitments, including his part-time job as a lifeguard at a D.C. pool. It would have been Handverger’s responsibility to keep track of AUTO e-mails, confirmations and certifications, but Handverger did not always to respond to these e-mails, he said. MacCracken did not say Handverger was negligent or that he should necessarily take all of the blame for AUTO miscommunication. MacCracken also acknowledged that, as president, he did not understand much of the AUTO process, including how long it should take to secure a new AUTO van. He also noted that some e-mails regarding AUTO, instead of being sent to Handverger, were sent to ausg.org, which forwards to the president’s inbox. Counter Argument: Handverger said he felt he was vigilant about his AUTO responsibilities. Many people were not re-certified after their AUTO certification expired, and he was being responsible by refusing to let them drive, Handverger said. In His Words: “There did seem to be a number of issues,” he said about Handverger’s management of AUTO.