Butler

Rankins

by Joe Harris
senior editor

Student Government Association President Darwin Butler formally filed an appeal with the Student Court on Jan. 31, 2000 on the procedures of the Jan. 20 SGA meeting.

The appeal states that "the calling of a second meeting without prior student body notification displays an attitude of 'white privilege'" and went on to state that his due process had been violated. The appeal also questioned the validity of the SGA's appointment of Michael Rankins to the position of vice president.

Rick Eccher, chief justice of the Student Court, said that the appeal is currently in limbo because of Butler's status. Butler has been in a St. Louis county jail since violating his work release in October.

Since Butler cannot personally appear for his appeal, but has the right to one as a University of Missouri-St. Louis student, the court is trying to make a decision on how to proceed.

Eccher said the court has asked the General Counsel for advice. The General Counsel is the legal counsel to the University of Missouri and is based in Columbia.

"What we're trying to determine at this point is whether we have to give him a personal hearing, whether we can give him a teleconference hearing or, if in effect, the court would have to convene where he is right now to give him his appeal rights," Eccher said.

Michael Rankins, SGA vice president, said he is aware of Butler's appeal. He said Butler's major points of white privilege, lack of due process and the questions about the validity of Rankins' office are flawed.

First, Rankins said, there was no white privilege entering into the calling of the second meeting.

"I would like for him to demonstrate how white privilege was evidenced by calling a second meeting according to Robert's Rules of Order," Rankins said. "There is nothing in Robert's Rules that says you cannot adjourn meetings and then call a second meeting at the same meeting."

Rankins said Butler's complaint that his due process was neglected is also flawed. Rankins said that if anybody's due process was neglected it would be the students'.

"Darwin continues to try to interfere with SGA and the students moving forward," Rankins said.

Butler's grievance questions the validity of Rankins' office due to the SGA constitution which states that an officer cannot hold more than a two term limit in the same office. Rankins served two terms as vice president under Jim Avery.

Rankins said that his office is valid constitutionally.

"The two term limit says two consecutive terms not two terms ever," Rankins said. "A person can run for 100 terms if they want to but you can only have two terms that follow one another directly. Since my last term as vice president, we had Carrie Mowen and we also had an interim in Steve Wolfe, so I'm not in violation of that."

Eccher said they have tried several times to get a ruling from the General Counsel this past week but have been unsuccessful. There is no word on when a ruling will be made.

Butler was unavailable for comment.