Editor’s note: Carter Strickland currently serves on the OU Daily Publications Board, which oversees OU Daily’s topline matters by establishing, implementing and monitoring editorial, fiscal, production and personnel policies. The Publications Board does not have any say in publishing matters and news coverage.
Impeachment charges will be brought against OU Student Government Association President Carter Strickland at Tuesday’s Undergraduate Student Congress general body meeting.
The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting lists five charges for impeachment against Strickland.
• Created a hostile workplace environment while serving as SGA president.
• Failed to act in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act and the SGA Code Annotated while serving as SGA president.
• Went against the chief justice’s advisement in electing members to search committees while serving as SGA president.
• Neglected his duties to the legislative branches while serving as SGA president.
• Hindered the duties and responsibilities of the chief of staff.
OU Daily reached out to Strickland over text for a statement about the charges. Strickland wrote that he had been notified of the charges and would have a statement at Tuesday's meeting.
The bill was authored by Congress Vice Chair Aaron Gilson-Bond and co-sponsored by 20 other SGA members, including Chief of Staff Ellie Wolthuis, Secretary Chloe Harris and five congress committee chairs.
Gilson-Bond said he wrote the bill because accountability is important to him.
“Holding people accountable, especially whenever we have positions inside of student government, especially paid positions, we have a duty to do our job 100% correctly, at least to the very best of our ability,” Gilson-Bond said. “Obviously, mistakes happen, I'll acknowledge that, but it's not about making mistakes. It's about being able to fix your mistakes.”
Before he authored the bill, Gilson-Bond said these concerns were addressed with Strickland but were not resolved. Gilson-Bond said Strickland has been spoken to by SGA adviser George Ahmadi, Congress Chair Hope Rhoads and others.
Rhoads, who will preside over Tuesday’s meeting, said she aims to remain neutral but she knows Strickland has been preparing for his presidency for a long time.
“It can be really tough to make the right decisions as a leader, …” Rhoads said. “I believe that Congress will do what it thinks is right, and I don’t know what that choice is going to be, but I believe my body will move how my body will move.”
Strickland, a political science junior, won the election on Oct. 30 alongside SGA Vice President Avery Dunlap, obtaining 91.06% of the vote. Strickland and Dunlap ran an unopposed campaign, the first time for SGA candidates since 2014.
In a statement to OU Daily, Dunlap wrote that she was aware of the charges and proceedings and she had no further comment at this time.
“This is in the hands of the legislative branch and I trust them to do what is best for SGA and the student body,” Dunlap wrote.
Strickland and Dunlap were inaugurated on Jan. 13. As of Tuesday, Strickland would have served as president for just over three months.
Gilson-Bond said he took into consideration Strickland’s short tenure when bringing forth the charges. Gilson-Bond cited Strickland's past experience as director of the interior under the previous administration — led by former president Caden Glasscock and vice president Cyrus Mortazavi — and said he should understand his responsibilities.
“Something very important is that this impeachment bill is not to pretty much debate whether a leader should be perfect but just pretty much to ensure that when they do violate oversight, don't have transparency and foster a hostile environment, they are going to be held accountable,” Gilson-Bond said.
According to the SGA Code Annotated, in case of the removal or impeachment of the SGA president from office, resignation from office or their inability to perform the powers and duties of the office, those powers and duties fall to the vice president.
The Undergraduate Student Congress has the sole power to bring impeachment charges against the executive branch members and the Graduate Student Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments. When the student body president is tried, the chief justice of the SGA Superior Court presides over the Senate.
According to the SGA Constitution, impeachment charges must receive two-thirds approval from the Senate to remove a person from their position.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Strickland’s charges will be brought before the body by Gilson-Bond, who will receive 10 minutes to answer questions followed by 10 minutes of questions for Strickland. Both periods of time can be extended.
Following questions, Congress will enter a debate where any person in the room may be permitted to speak. Following a five-minute recess during which the impeachment charges will be finalized, each charge will be voted on individually. Each charge that receives a majority vote will be forward to the Graduate Student Senate.
In 2015, SGA President Kunal Naik faced impeachment charges after he was arrested for public intoxication. Naik was also elected after running an uncontested campaign. A hearing was held for Naik’s impeachment, but the charges were dismissed. Naik later resigned, saying he did not believe he could bring the dedication necessary to act as president.
The Undergraduate Student Congress meets weekly at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Dale Hall.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd and Ana Barboza. Mary Ann Livingood and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
