SG ballot removal finalized after second appeal fails

The image that led to Michael Jordan and Donald Garrett's ticket removal, here used as Jordan's cover photo. (Screenshot of an Elections and Disputes Commission document)

The faculty review board tasked with the second stage of an appeal process upheld the Student Government Election and Disputes Commission’s decision to remove Michael Jordan and Donald Garrett’s ticket from the ballot for next year’s student body president and vice president.

The two former senators, who have both brought forth questions about the legality of how SG operates and criticism of their treatment, were removed last week after SG Senator Nicholas Guerin filed a grievance with the EDC about a Facebook image he considered campaign material uploaded before the official campaign period began. Upon review, the EDC voted that the image’s primary purpose was to increase the likelihood of their winning, basing their decision on a combination of factors, including its similarity to other campaign materials used after the official start of campaigning.

Jordan and Garrett appealed to the EDC to reverse their decision unsuccessfully, prompting the duo take the appeal to the process’s allowed second level: a review of the decision by faculty and administrators. The group, which consisted of five university employees including Assistant Director of Student Goverment Melissa Masone, sustained the decision, saying that upon review “[the review board] could not find a valid reason or sufficient evidence for modification or revision of the original decision.”

“At this time, the Jordan/Garrett campaign have exhausted all of their efforts in the Student Government appeal process,” said Masone Tuesday in an email to interested parties.

In an email to Connect2Mason, Garrett said he had no comment until speaking about the decision with Masone Wednesday morning. He planned to ask questions, among them a question on the inclusion of five faculty members on the review board. The second appeal level was to include three members, according to EDC Chairman David Bier in an interview Friday.

Read the faculty review board’s decision.

Jordan and Garrett’s removal from the ballot and their disqualification from the rest of the spring 2012 general election leaves two tickets for SBP and VP on the official ballot: Alex Williams and Jordan Foster, and Liam Hennelley and Mohamed Ahmed. Write-in candidates can also win, though this year they must face new rules for eligibility. As of the time of publication, only one additional ticket was eligible for a write-in vote. Students Gabriel Lavine and Ellie Shahin filed last Tuesday and are now campaigning.

A debate is scheduled for March 28 at 6 p.m. Connect2Mason is providing a live videofeed.

Editor's Note, 10:36 a.m. March 28 An earlier version of this piece incorrectly spelled Melissa Masone's name. It has been corrected.