UPDATED: March 29, 2013, 3:31 a.m.

Student Association cabinet members plan to begin impeachment proceedings against President Allie Curtis, claiming she misled cabinet members and provided a way for an individual to bypass university regulations.

In a resolution that passed late Thursday, seven cabinet members voted in favor of asking Curtis to step down. The resolution states Curtis knowingly allowed an individual who is not enrolled in classes at SU to serve in the organization.

“President Curtis’ dishonest, irresponsible, and unethical actions have maligned this Cabinet and tarnished the standing capacity of the Student Association as a whole,” the resolution stated.

The motion to accept the resolution was made by parliamentarian Ben Jones and seconded by Board of Elections and Membership Chair Emily Ballard.

The resolution stems from the charge that Curtis violated university regulations by knowingly permitting Colin Crowley, former director of public relations, to serve on the cabinet during a leave of absence. Curtis hid the decision from cabinet members and proposed a new office “for the purpose of providing that officer a potential way to skirt university regulations, while telling this Cabinet it was for other purposes,” according to the resolution.

Curtis had multiple opportunities to notify cabinet members of the change in Crowley’s academic status but didn’t, according to the resolution. This rendered the cabinet unable to lead the university community, the resolution stated.

“Despite having had several opportunities to come forward with the truth and attempt to include this Cabinet in the decision-making process regarding the matter, she neither did so nor attempted to do so.”

At the time the resolution passed, Curtis said she has no intentions of stepping down, Jones said in an email. Cabinet members who voted in favor of the resolution have pledged to begin impeachment proceedings if Curtis does not resign.

Cabinet members who voted in favor of the resolution were: Jones; Ballard; Ivan Rosales-Robles, chair of the Student Life Committee; Comptroller Stephen DeSalvo; Jenny Choi, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee; Janine Savage, chair of Student Engagement; and recorder Belen Crisp.

Public Relations Chair Cara Johnson and Vice President Duane Ford voted against the resolution. Curtis did not have a vote.

When reached for comment early Friday morning, Curtis called the resolution’s language harsh and said she stands by her decision to allow Crowley to continue as public relations chairman.

“I certainly hope that students and the assembly will see the good intentions that were behind this,” she said.

Chief of Staff PJ Alampi and Johnson were also aware of Crowley’s academic status, which both Alampi and Johnson confirmed.

Curtis said she has faced opposition from within her own cabinet since she was elected into office, a result of choosing qualified members for the positions and not those with whom she gets along.

Curtis said she has no intention of resigning as president and is working with the Office of Student Activities to review whether the passage of the resolution followed procedure. She reiterated that she never intended to harm SA.

“I never wanted this to affect the way we operate and bring down our cabinet and this organization,” Curtis said. “Never would I have imagined in a million years that this would be the way things would go for me.”

Published on March 29, 2013 at 1:14 am

Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong