Watch video from the meeting
The ethics hearing for Student Sen. Nate Gulley turned into a discussion of institutional racism perceived in the Senate. In support of Gulley, around 50 people crowded into the EMU Board Room Wednesday night holding signs and wearing white bands that covered their mouths with the word “silenced” written on them.
In the end, the Senate voted against punishing Gulley, and Sens. Jacob Daniels and Karl Mourfy resigned from the Senate, but not before students from several multi-cultural programs told the Senate they have often felt the sting of racism from the ASUO.
The hearing, which Senate Ombudswoman Natalie Kinsey wanted to have in executive session, would have barred the public from attending (media are allowed to attend, but not report on, executive sessions). However, Gulley requested an open forum. Under Oregon law, a public official can not be disciplined in executive session if he or she requests an open meeting.
Kinsey said she had brought charges against Gulley for several questionable practices including unprofessional behavior, defamation of other Senators and voting on matters in which he had a conflict of interest.
The hearing quickly turned into a forum for marginalized students at the University. Gulley gave a good portion of his rebuttal time to the students to voice how they feel about the Senate as a whole. Under Senate rules, both the accuser and accused in an ethics hearing are given 30 minutes to speak.
Students said they felt the Senate is disrespectful to under-represented students when they come to before it. They accused the Senate of unprofessionalism by laughing, having side conversations, being overly critical, and sending text messages during the presentations of various students and student groups.
Sen. Kyle McKenzie was subject to special scrutiny for several statements he has made during Senate meetings, and for proposing a dress code in Senate.
While some observers attempted to defend the Senate, the effort to bring racism to light in the Senate overshadowed their arguments.
Although one of the charges against Gulley stemmed from a statement he made to the Emerald in which he accused ten other Senators, by name, of making “racist attacks” on programs, Kinsey said she wanted the discussion to focus on Gulley’s behavior, not on whether the Senate is guilty of institutionalized racism.
Many of the students said racism is not always as obvious as someone making a racist statement and said the problem is that many students from under-represented groups do not feel safe or comfortable coming before the Senate.
“Just because we’re from the multicultural unions doesn’t mean you don’t have to represent us,” one student said.
The students carried signs written in multiple languages bearing messages such as: “You call me hostile, but you laugh at my accent” and “There is racism in Senate.”
In response to a comment from Dallas Brown that students offended by Senate decisions should just “grow thicker skin,” Ty Schwoeffermann said the people in the room “are the people with the thickest skin.”
Schwoeffermann said there were divisions and class lines in the room.
“I don’t think my skin should have to be thick when I’m offended,” Shante Stuart said.
Josué Peña-Juárez, the ASUO gender and sexual diversity advocate, said that he is tired of feeling like a token in the ASUO and is tired of having to hold people’s hands to teach them about diversity.
“Take time to educate yourself about the world around you,” he said.
ASUO President Jared Axelrod said he hopes “everyone learns something from tonight.”
“We could sense this coming,” Axelrod said. “This has been snowballing since the beginning. I’ll make some changes in my life.”
Several Senators, including some of those Gulley accused of racist attacks on programs, said they come from diverse backgrounds and have felt uncomfortable on campus themselves. Others said while they consider themselves people of color, they are aware of their own biases.
“You can not hold yourself exempt just because you are bi-racial,” Sen. Chii-San SunOwen said.
Sen. Karl Mourfy said while racism is an issue in the Senate, he does not think that everyone in the body is racist.
Several of the Senators who Gulley accused expressed their disappointment and pain at being called out for racism in a public forum such as the newspaper.
Sen. Karen Trippe said that a potential employer found the article with the accusation of racism on Google and asked her about it in an interview.
Most of the students who spoke told the Senators that their behavior in meetings – sending text messages, having side conversations and even laughing at people with accents – shows disrespect and marginalizes students who do not feel safe within the Senate space.
Despite Senators’ attempts to say that cuts to student programs were based on fiscal policy and not racism, students said racism is a problem because of the tremendous power the Senate holds over programs.
“Racism is prejudice plus power,” Stuart said.