The filing of the impeachment of Student Body Treasurer John Taylor Willis has been wildly over exaggerated. When writing the resolution, our goal was to simply encourage Treasurer Willis to complete his job in a timely and professional manner.

Prior to the filing of the resolution, Treasurer Willis was failing to do so. While the term impeachment may sound severe, all that will come from the filing and subsequent first-reading of the resolution is the referral to the Committee on Government Relations and Oversight (GRO) where members will decide whether the charges merit further investigation.

According to Student Government Statutes 2-2.17,

“At any point in its investigations on a bill of charges, the Committee on Government Relations and Oversight shall be empowered to remove or reduce any specification, charge, or sanction contained therein.”

This implies GRO is unable to increase charges being levied against the accused, but is allowed to reduce charges as they see fit. This is the reasoning behind submitting the bill as an impeachment, as it allows GRO maximum flexibility should they decide to investigate further.

Treasurer Willis was notified of the bill and its goals by one of the sponsors, prior to the first public release in Technician. He was also notified that if he began to make crucial improvements in his job performance, the charges would likely be reduced or dropped entirely. Instead of focusing on the ways in which he could better fulfill his duties moving forward, Treasurer Willis has chosen to attempt to discredit our efforts to ensure Student Government officials are held accountable.

Many have voiced their concerns with the vagueness of the resolution. Due to what we see as substantial evidence against the accused, and in order to respect the privacy for other parties involved, we decided not to include specific instances of wrongdoing in the legislation. Instead, we are opting to clarify and present the evidence directly to GRO.

The position of Student Body Treasurer is vital to the effectiveness and efficiency of Student Government. The Treasurer is in charge of all Student Government funds, including hundreds of thousands of dollars of student fees earmarked for appropriations. Appropriations is the process through which Student Government awards student organizations with funding and is arguably one of the most important task Student Government completes. Due to the inactions of Treasurer Willis, this process has been delayed.

It is important to note that Student Body Treasurer is a paid position. A portion of the Student Government fee, paid by all enrollees, is allotted for the $4,200 stipend Treasurer Willis receives. It is our belief that if a member of Student Government is unable to fulfill the duties of the office in a timely and professional manner, it is our right and duty as Student Senate representatives to exercise the punitive powers bestowed upon us to check other members of Student Government.

As for Treasurer Willis’ call for “a transparent and constructive discourse”, allowing GRO to conduct an open and impartial investigation is the most professional and efficient way to determine whether any wrongdoing has occurred, as detailed throughout Article 2 of the Student Government Statutes.

If no wrongdoing has occurred, Treasurer Willis has nothing to fear from this process.

While we respect the autonomy of Technician to present information however they see fit, we feel the news coverage has been sensationalized, and that it is necessary to include the joint statement sent to Technician earlier this week in its entirety:

We, the sponsors of Senate Resolution 30, The Willis Impeachment Act, want a Student Body Treasurer that works. We are committed to ensuring that other members of Student Government and the Student Body have the resources they need to succeed, and are determined to enforce accountability measures on Student Government leadership so that they fulfill their duties to the Student Body. Student Body Treasurer Willis’ current performance does not meet these expectations and we, through this resolution, are taking action to ensure that Student Government operates at the level the Student Body expects.

This bill was filed so that Treasurer Willis and the Student Body know that we take accountability seriously, and ensures we have a way by which we can hold him accountable if he does not begin to perform at a higher level. Especially given the fact that the position of Student Body Treasurer is a paid position who’s [sic] performance influences the ability of other branches of Student Government to effectively do their jobs, it is imperative that the individual holding the office meet expectations and be receptive to feedback, both of which Treasurer Willis has failed to do.