USG passes resolution “taking accountability” amid divestment attempts

Kate Shields
Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:52:40 +0000
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Police gather as members of Students for Justice in Palestine hold signs up in protest at the Undergraduate Student Government cabinet meeting on March 5 following the removal of Issue 29 from the USG ballot. Credit: Christian Harsa | Senior Reporter

In the Undergraduate Student Government’s last meeting of the year, the group passed an emergency resolution Wednesday taking accountability for controversies stemming from a ballot initiative calling upon the university to divest “from companies profiting from human rights violations.”

The resolution, titled “An Emergency Resolution to Take Accountability and Enhance Transparency in USG’s Democratic Processes,” was passed 20-1, with five abstentions. It was introduced by USG Secretary Mykenna Roy to hold “USG accountable for all the wrongdoings on [their] part” related to the initiative, Issue 29.

“Notice that I said USG, not a specific branch, committee or person,” Roy said. “That’s because if it happens within our organization, it is up to our organization to address it and move forward. I came up with reasonable suggestions and recommendations that are actually achievable and attainable and will hopefully prevent anything like this from happening ever again.”?

Roy read statements from three senators when introducing the resolution. One senator said they understand that accountability is “integral to any democracy.”?

“Right now, I believe that we are an idealized democracy, but we’re not there yet because we aren’t able to hold all our institutions accountable,” they said.?

The resolution states that Issue 29 — titled “Urging OSU To Divest from Companies Profiting from Human Rights Violations” — was removed from the USG ballot twice “despite significant student support and receiving 1,247 signatures for inclusion.”

Prior to going on the ballot, the USG Judicial Panel invalidated 415 digital signatures due to alleged bylaw infractions, the resolution states.

According to previous Lantern reporting, USG initially declined a vote on Issue 29 on Feb. 23 due to these alleged bylaw violations. The issue was then placed back on the ballot by the Judicial Panel March 3 after an appeal from OSU Divest, and voting opened March 4 at noon and was set to close March 6 at 11:59 p.m.??

The decision to place the issue back on the ballot was made in light of “procedural ambiguities and inconsistency in the interpretation of the bylaws regarding digital petitioning,” the resolution states.

However, 12 hours into voting, Issue 29 was removed “following a directive from Ohio State University Administration pending a special hearing,” according to the resolution.?

In response to the removal, over 65 Ohio State students spoke at a USG meeting March 6 to express their opinions on the initiative, with almost 40 supporting it or admonishing the university for pausing the vote.

Following the meeting, it was revealed that the Ohio Attorney General’s Office advised the removal of the issue. This advice was based on a section of the Ohio Revised Code, which prohibits divestment policies targeting specific countries.

The resolution “acknowledges the complex situation surrounding Issue 29, including its initial placement and subsequent removal from the ballot” as well as “the student body’s need for transparency and clarity regarding Issue 29’s removal.”

The resolution also stated the group is committed to providing “transparency in future actions, potentially through weekly updates posted to the website of each branch of USG.”?

Actions mentioned include a commitment to reviewing and updating bylaws, collaboration between the Judicial Panel and the strategic communications team, and educational forums on university governance and state law.

One other emergency resolution, titled “An Emergency Resolution to Uplift Student Voices While Condemning All Forms of Hatred,” was also placed on the meeting’s agenda but was not discussed in depth or voted on due to time constraints.