News

Election complaint hearing postponed

By Ray Hafner 
Senior Staff Writer

A hearing scheduled for Monday to determine if SGA President Dawona Miller violated the election code and misused student fees to create an "unfair election" was postponed until next week, because the complainant said he was not given enough time to prepare his case.

Nick Somarakis, who ran for president against Miller during last monthis Student Government Association elections, said he did not find out the hearingis date until Thursday.

Somarakis filed his complaint after reading about alleged wrongdoing by Miller and her Student Voice Party in The Daily Cougar. As the complainant in the case, Somarakis holds the burden of proof and by acting as a sort of "prosecutor" must prove she violated the code, he said.

SGA Vice President Jon Quintanilla and members of the Election Commission have alleged that Miller used SGA paper and copier supplies, paid for by student fees, to advertise her re-election campaign. They also allege Miller tried to cover up the use by first shifting the cost to the Commission and then by forging her partyis financial statement.

At issue in this hearing is whether Miller violated the Election Code and whether that created an unfair election. Somarakis received only 21 percent of the vote and lost the election.

The Dean of Students office is conducting a separate disciplinary investigation on the same allegations to see if Miller violated student life policy as described in the Student Handbook.

Temitope Ayoola, a friend of Milleris, said Miller was handling the stress well. Ayoola would normally be serving as the Hearing Boardis Chief Justice, but he removed himself because he felt there would be a conflict of interest in hearing his friendis case.

David Burkley, the Senateis Speaker Pro Tempore, said he was certain Miller did not use SGA supplies because they cut the handbills March 8, the Saturday before the election and four days before Quintanilla says Miller and Burkley stayed late in the office printing campaign material.

Burkley said he and several other supporters got together to discuss strategy and to cut the fliers.

Laura Salinas, SGAis Student Regent, backed Burkley up, saying that Miller arrived with a box of fliers to be cut. Salinas could not remember how many fliers Miller brought.

While Burkley is sure no SGA supplies were used, he could not explain why Miller might have forged her financial statement.

The statement in question purports to be a letter from an official at Huston-Tillotson College in Austin and claims the Student Voice materials were paid for by the collegeis Upward Bound program. Officials at the college denied the letteris author had ever worked there and that the program had paid for the campaign.

Quintanilla said he is "100 percent sure" Miller used SGA supplies. He said itis "mind-boggling," in light of the evidence, that some people still believe her. 

"I canit understand why some people are like ‘maybe she didnit,i" he said. Quintanilla said Miller asked him for help with forging the financial statement. The next day, he said, when he saw she had created a false letterhead, he told Director of Campus Activities Zach Coapland about the incident.

Burkley speculated that Quintanilla might have been making a play for the presidency but added that because Quintanilla may not even return this semester because of a personal tragedy, he wasnit sure why the vice president would have turned on his long-time friend. 

Victoria Gonzalez, SGAis director of public relations, said the two had a falling out during the campaign when Quintanilla did not participate in campaigning. Gonzalez said the decision to speak out was made to address a history of wrongdoing, but she would not elaborate.

The Hearing Board will reconvene April 25 to hear Somarakisi case.
 

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