By Amy Diaz
A proposal to increase openness and outreach in the Student Government senate died in a general assembly meeting on April 8.
And then the fur started to fly.
In a donnybrook of accusations and recriminations that lasted five days, there was a move to unseat Senate President Tiffany Porcelli, a counter move by Porcelli to reprimand the senator who challenged her, a call for a vote of confidence in Porcelli and – finally – a letter of apology from Porcelli.
In the middle of it all, there was also a resignation.
Christine Rowe, a member of the SG supreme court, said in a letter that SG “is monopolized by people who are only looking out for themselves and force their opinions and ideas on others.”
“I don’t want to be in an organization where most of the decisions are made by one or two individuals.”
Rowe added that she had been hospitalized last semester and that “SG has been affecting (her) medical issues.”
“It is a very stressful and unpleasant environment to be in,” she wrote. “Eventually, SG becomes toxic to everyone that is in it.”
The proposal that started the week of controversy and chaos came from senators Naya Payne and Gregory Cote.
Their bill, which passed the SG policy committee a week earlier, would create a position called secretary of the senate. The student in the volunteer position would take notes during meetings, maintain easily accessible public records and publicize SG on social media.
The position is “something that we desperately need,” said Cote, noting that the USF campuses in Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee already have it.
But the proposal ran into a buzz saw of opposition.
It would violate the SG constitution, said Chief Legal Officer Thomas Ryan. It would duplicate duties that are already handled by senate members, said Porcelli and Student Body Vice President Ysatis Jordan.
After considerable debate, Porcelli announced the general assembly would move to a vote. When Cote objected, Porcelli would not hear the objection – and that triggered the flurry of activity that followed:
- Cote walked out of the meeting, later noting in an email to SG advisers, provided to The Crow’s Nest, that he was so upset by “the mockery (Porcelli) made of our legislative process” that he could not be present for the “shamefully forced vote.”
- Payne sent out an email announcing that he would seek to run as the 48th term senate president and “take back the gavel” from Porcelli. In a separate email to The Crow’s Nest, he attributed the failure of the bill to a “true showing of corruption and abuse of power.”
He also accused Porcelli, Ryan and Jordan of using “dirty ploys and silencing methods.”
- The next day, Porcelli issued a “notification of non-compliance” against Payne for violating “the spirit of the Sunshine Law by attempting to ‘corral’ votes” in his move to replace her and “lobbying senators in private to support pending legislation.”
- Payne countered by filing a request for trial on the non-compliance notice, calling it a “clear abuse of power to undermine (his) bid to become the next Senate President.”
- On April 10, Cote called for a vote of confidence in Porcelli, citing what he called her “abuse of power” for restricting his right to speak during the SG meeting.
- Later that day, Cote offered to rescind his move if Porcelli would apologize.
“I feel it would be more beneficial for the Senate to see you apologize for your actions at the previous general assembly, than for more division to be caused through going through” with the no-confidence proceedings, he said.
- Two days later, on April 12, Porcelli sent a letter of apology to Cote, the senate and senator-elects, taking responsibility for her mistakes at the GA meeting regarding rules about objections and speaking rights.
She apologized for “anyone that (she) offended, felt silenced, or mislead by not knowing Robert’s rules, to the extent or standard (she) should have.”
“I want everyone who is reading this to remember at the end of the day, we are all human beings, humans with feelings holding different backgrounds and all living different lives,” she wrote.
“The things that have occurred within the last few weeks or so, cannot be taken back, but only used as mistakes and lessons learned, as well as opportunity to better the future.”
- In turn, Payne dropped his request for a trial to contest the notification of non-compliance against him.
“I am acknowledging my role, and I am stopping my addition to the chaos,” Payne said.
“I believe we all have immense potential and our own strong passions, drives and beliefs. That’s going to cause debate, it’s going to cause conflict, but it will also always cause progress, perseverance and accomplishments; as we all have already observed.”
Payne still intends to run for senate president at the general assembly meeting on April 15. Only senators who are returning to SG next year will be eligible to vote.
This article was updated on April 15, 2019.
An earlier version read that Payne sought to “unseat” Porcelli as senate president. He plans to run as the next senate president, as Porcelli’s term is ending.
