Confusion Reigns In SGA
As far as SGA affairs are now,
the only certain statement one
can make is that confusion is
presiding.
The situation can be
compared to the nursery school
game: button, button, who has
the lautton? Only, UNC-A
students ask gavel, gavel, who Is
the SGA president? No one can
answer with certainty, not Don
Meyers, not the Exectuvie
Council, not even the Judicial
Board.
The problem came up about
two weeks before the end of last
term when SGA president Don
Meyers dropped two of the three
courses he was taking and
became a part time student. The
SGA constitution states that all
members of the Executive
Council must remain full time
students throughout the year.
Meyers, in becoming a part time
student, stood in violation of the
constitution.
Early this term, the Judicial
Board decided that Meyers did
violate the constitution and
must relinquish his position to
the (then) vice president. Ron
Goodwin recommended to the
Executive Council to appoint
Meyers to an advisory position
due to his Interest and efforts as
president.
The llghtening-quick minds of
some of the Executive Council
members had anticipated the
Judicial Board decision and had
formulated three alternate plans
to get around the decision.
Plan A: Meyers had two
Incompletes carried over from
fourth term last year and,
therefore, was carrying 15 hours
before he dropped the two
courses, which would have left
hlnri with nine hours, not three.
However, this plan was blocked
when the Judicial Board would
not recognize It. So, Plan B was
activated.
Plan B: Ron Goodwin would
ascend to the presidency, would
appoint Don Meyers to the
vacant position of vice president,
then resign as president, and
bingo, Meyers would move up to
be president, appointing
Goodwin to fill the vacant office
of vice president. The only hitch
to this plan was that the
Executive Council has to
approve all appomtments (and
were willing to), but did not
have enough members present to
form a quorum. Thus, Plan B
was temporarily scratched, and
Plan C went into action.
Plan C: this works from the
premise that no president can be
thrown out of office, he must be
impeached. So, this plan would
make the Judicial Board decision
invalid.
At the present time, the
Judicial Board equally confused
as everyone else) must meet
again to determine whether or
not their first decision was
binding, or if Meyers must be
Impeached to be removed from
office.
If the Judicial Board stands
by its first decision, confusion
will multiply. If they insist that
Meyers Is out, then Ron
Goodwin would move up to the
president's position. However,
recall that Goodwin resigned
from his polstion. Thus, it would
create a double vacancy—but
maybe not. Goodwin resigned
after the Judicial Board made its
first decision. Theoretically,
Goodwin resigned from the vice
president position when he was
actually the president. Well!
Who knows what tomorrowwill
bring.
If the Judicial Board does
stick by Its first decision Ron
Goodwin would be the president
and Plan B could be re-activated,
if Goodwin were still willing to
go through with it. But, as stated
earlier, nothing Is certain.
L.R.
RIDGERUNNER
VOL. 5, NO. 6 THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1969
Goodwin and Hannan
Quit SGA Positions
BULLETIN
Judicial Board did uphold its original decision at a meeting Monday, Nov.
17, ruling that Ron Goodwin is now SGA president and recommending that
former president Don Meyers be appointed to an advisory position.
Amidi cries of possible SGA
bankrupcy, lack of
communication and cooperation
and lack of SGA officers'
interests in the financial aspects
of governing, Vice-President Ron
Goodwin and Finance
Commissioner Ed Hannan
resigned from their positions, on
Nov. 8.
The reason for their
resignations is they saw that if
the present rate of SGA
spending goes unchecked, the
SGA is in clear danger of
bankruptcy during or before
fourth term. Both Goodwin and
Hannon warned President
Meyers, the Executive Council
and Commissioners of the
impending crisis, but were met
with indifference and no
cooperation.
Hannan said that the basic
reason that the crisis came about
was the absence of an official
SGA budget at the first of the
year. Meyers issued each
commissioner a verbal budget,
but a written budget to be
approved by the Executive
Council was never implemented.
Hannan implied that this
resulted in a lack of restraint
which a written budget would
have provided. He says that
"each commissioner has
attempted to maximize the
programs for his respective
commission without indicating
even a hint of concern for the
programs of the others."
In statements to THE
RIDGERUNNER concerning the
financial crisis and his
resignation, Hannan said "I
personally castigate this student
government. It is not a
responsible student government.
There has been little evidence of
serious minded, intelligent
leadership within the Executive
Council. Blame this lack on a
basic dearth of clearly defined
objectives, and a lack of
intelligent leadership.”
It can be assumed that an
official SGA budget would
strenghten the Executive
Council. No matter whether or
not Hannan's evaluation of the
student government is correct, it
stands to reason that if the
Executive Council was given the
authority and power to insist
upon the submission of budgets
and the power and authority to
approve (or disapprove)
budgets—and, therefore, being
DIRECTLY responsible for the
distribution of $20,000-interest
will be generated in the student
body to insure that their
representatives in the Executive
Council be serious minded and
intelligent._
I n an Executive Council
meeting of Nov. 12, Goodwin
explained the circumstances
culminating in his and Hannan's
resignations. The following are
direct quotations.
"The SGA was in financial
trouble. There was no budges
established. It Is like running a
business without a budget. The
decisions for spending were with
Ed and me, and ultimately with
Don. Ed and I wrote the checks,
but there was no plan to the
spending. We did not know how
much they could spend, and
they (the commissioners) did
not know how much they could
spend. So, it was just
unrestricted spending. Whenever
I asked Don about the no plan
to spending, he would say 'don't
worry about it, the money is
there.'
"Nobody seemed to care
where the spending went. I
know that If Meyers did not
care, the Executive Council did
not care. I figured that the only
way to make Don look at the
books was to resign. Well, It
seems that I did accomplish that
purpose, because Don and Ron
Cappella (the newly appointed
Finance Commissioner) spent all
day studing the books and
cutting down on certain
spending."
Goodwin said that those were
the reasons why he quit. He also
said that there were other
reasons why he would never go
back. He said that vice
presidency was a bad job, that it
entailed a lot or responsibility
over which he had no control.
As the job is set up with no
budget, Meyers authorized the
spending, and could conceivably
authorize more spending than
there was funds. If the president
cut out at any time, it would
leave the vice-president holding
the bag. Goodwin said that if the
job changed where Meyers did
not have the final authority on
the spending of the money. If
the Executive Council had
power or control over the
spending, then the job of the
vice president would be more
secure. The vice president would
know that the Executive Council
had to approve spending and not
just the president, and then if
anything happened, the fault
would be on 13 people instead
of just one.
As the job stands now,
Meyers had control of the
money and could abandon his
position leaving the
vice-president holding the big
( see QUIT, pg. 7)
Out For Season?
The Bulldogs' All American guard, Jim "Red" McElhaney
received an injury in a recent practice session and may be out
for the entire season. For the details, see page 8.
Big Homecoming Set
"UNC-A is having the greatest
Homecoming in its history"
announced Ginni Beachum,
social commissioner.
Less than a month away.
Homecoming will span three
days crammed full of activities.
The Homecoming-Social
commission has released a
schedule of all the events.
On Friday, Dec. 13, all classes
will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m.
for an all campus assembly
featuring the "Funny Faculty
Friday". This Includes skits
spooifing the faculty and
administration by student
impersonations.
At 3:30 that afternoon, there
will be the Homecoming Parade
In downtown Asheville. All
organizations will participate in
some way and there are at least
seven floats entering. Any
organization planning to have a
car or display, see Fred
LeMieux, chairman of the
Parade. SGA is sponsoring a
professionally decorated float
for the Homecoming Queen and
court. The parade will cost
$175. $100 for the Queen and
court's float and a prize for the
winning float of $75.
8:00 Friday evening, the
"UNC-A Festival of Music" will
be held in the gym. This
provides six professional bands
for a dance and discotheque.
Alpha Nu Lambda will decorate,
Kappa Delta Tau will be
hostesses. Sigma Delta Upsllon
will police the area BSU will,
clean up. The event will run
$139.
At noon Saturday, Co-ed
Capers will take place on the
soccer field. Beer will be on sale
and there will be small camp
fires to assist the beer in
awarding off the cold. All groups
(see HOMECOMING, pg.4)