Two A.S. board members impeached at November meeting

On Nov. 14, at 2 p.m., two members of Associated Students (A.S.) were impeached by the Associated Students Board of Directors during their bi- weekly board meeting. A.S. consists of representatives elected by the student body to advocate for the campus community. During the new business, the A.S. Board of Directors reviewed and voted upon impeachment sanctions for Anna Martinez, Officer of Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion, and Mary Angelie Mangubat, the Officer of External Affairs.

Executive Vice President, Ayan Cabot, stated in the Articles of Impeachment document they drafted, that grounds for impeachment went forward due to a violation of the A.S. Bylaws and Accountability Policy for not completing duties. The policy states, “If a member’s accountability point balance reaches zero (0), 50% of their stipend shall be deducted and the Executive Vice President shall prepare the Articles of Impeachment, placing the Board Member on the next Board of Directors meeting agenda to proceed with the impeachment process.” Both impeached members had gone below zero points and were notified of their violations on Oct. 31.

Martinez and Mangubat argued that their impeachment was in retaliation against them speaking up about equal pay for subcommittee members. Mangubat also argues that her impeachment was due to her own unprofessionalism. She claims that the student board cares more about swearing than the issues at hand, after tensions rose at the Oct. 31 board meeting, which is not available for public record.

The impeachment process

On Oct. 28 during the A.S. Executive Cabinet meeting, Martinez and Mangubat expressed their concerns for not being able to provide diverse compensation for their subcommittees.

Cabot clarified that negative 32 points were accumulated due to the fact that Martinez neglected to fill positions in their subcommittee.

“I have not been filling my subcommittee seats, because I think A.S. should be paying these subcommittee members, and I believe my impeachment is in retaliation for my advocacy around equitable pay for student leaders. My position duty outlined in Article 1 section 8, is to uphold social justice, equity and empowerment,” Martinez said.

In an email drafted by Cabot notifying them of the impeachment, Martinez and Mangubat were told that it was not personal and did not question their intent and commitment to students. The email advised them to resign stating, “Impeachment proceedings and documents are public record. This includes materials that may be reviewed by future employers, graduate programs, scholarship committees, licensing organizations and external agencies. We are offering you the opportunity to resign voluntarily to protect your record and future opportunities.”

Riley Hemenover, A.S. Officer of Student Affairs, during public comment, shared their experience throughout the impeachment process as a board member.

“I feel like in this process there has been a lot of pressure to vote one way versus another. Multiple people on separate occasions have come up to me, both on and off the board of like ‘you should vote this way, because this leads to this and this and it’s just, I feel like, created a really hostile situation in the sense of I feel the need to vote a certain way because of the things I’ve been told,” Hemenover said during the meeting.

After the initial public comments were made, and time was yielded, the Board of Directors voted. Eduardo Cruz, Nate Heron, Steph McKindley, and Roselyn Montanez voted yes on the impeachment. Riley Hemenover refrained from voting. When the impeachment process had finished, Martinez and Mangubat abruptly left the meeting, with others in the public audience following after.

When the impeachment process had finished, Martinez and Mangubat abruptly left the meeting, with others in the public audience following after.

After the impeachment

After the meeting, Martinez shared why she didn’t resign and let the impeachment process unfold.

“I was voted in by my student body. I think if I am to be removed, then it should be by the entire student body. I really believed I wouldn’t be impeached,” Martinez said. “I thought my fellow officers would vote and see it, but clearly, the executive board got into their heads. I know of one board member telling me that she was threatened that if she didn’t vote yes, that they could later impeach her for it because it would be on her record that she voted no for the impeachment.”

Martinez argues that their duty as Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion Officer was to advocate for students and that not paying subcommittees is unfair because first generation and students of color are worried more about surviving rather than their white counterparts who can volunteer.

“I refuse to let my people work for free because I know the value of student work,” Martinez said.

Mangubat also adds, “Think about yourself. Think about what you’re capable of doing. Think about your values, because A.S. has strayed so far from it.”

When discussing paying subcommittees, Cabot explained that subcommittees are opportunities for students to develop skills and experience. He said that the board is discussing the possibility of providing $200, to help provide for snacks. He says that there isn’t a plan for stipends, because there is no data backing up that students in subcommittees want to be paid. Cabot said they are willing to have this conversation if the numbers demonstrate that there is that need.

Cabot shared his frustration, as he believes he’s been generous and flexible while working with Mangubat and Martinez. He feels it’s unfair when members aren’t carrying their weight.

“I’m doing all this work and if they are not fulfilling their duties and are still getting paid, that’s not necessarily fair. That is student fees, it is my fee, and it’s the fee of the board members, so I think you need to take that into consideration,” Cabot said.

A.S. President Eduardo Cruz also acknowledges his responsibilities, claiming that as president it is his duty to uphold these governing documents and move forward with the impeachment process. He believes that the bylaws and point system are equitable and set a fair standard for all officers.

“The policy ensures accountability is based on written, objective criteria rather than personal discretion, creating consistency and fairness across the organization. However, this is the first year of this policy, and improvements can always be made,” Cruz said.

Although Martinez and Mangubat were impeached, they are continuing their fight for better wages.

“This isn’t the end. I can still promote a resolution,” Martinez said. “I am going to post a QR code of the resolution so that we can get students to also sign off on this resolution for equal pay off on the board and pay for subcommittee members. They could ignore me and Mary, but they can’t ignore 100 and 200 student signatures saying that we want students to be paid.”