President resigns under pressure

CAMPUS ASG: Edna Tobias disciplined for accusatory email.

Under threat of impeachment and facing potential disciplinary action for violation of student codes of conduct, Associated Student Government President Edna Tobias resigned her office earlier this month.

Tobias received a letter of reprimand April 3, citing sections “M” and “S” of the Code of Student Conduct dealing with verbal abuse, disruptive communications and libelous statements against Chief Justice Clara Avila. Tobias resigned less than a week later.

“I’m not harassing [Avila]. All this, to me, is too much to accuse me of,” Tobias said.

The reprimand came after Tobias emailed Avila accusing her of rigging votes, lying and disrespecting ASG.

“I regret to have appointed you … Weather [sic] you like it or not I am your president and head of the organization,” Tobias wrote in an email dated April 3 titled “ASG President Observations.” It was sent out to Avila, Vice-President Michael Burris and student life administrators.

But Avila has no hard feelings.

“I didn’t want any of this to happen. I wanted to work past this when I got the email,” Avila said.

The accusations of vote-rigging stemmed from a clerical error she made, Avila said.

Tobias, along with Vice President Michael Burris, resigned from ASG when a senator and executive board member called for their impeachment during an April 9 senate meeting.

The email prompting the reprimand came at the same time ASG was transitioning between advisers.

“Because there was no adviser, I was trying to establish a line of communication,” Avila said.

Still, the warning, according to sources, has nothing to do with ASG.

“This is a student behavior issue. It just so happens that the student was in ASG,” said Dean of Student Affairs Lilia Tanakeyowma. “It doesn’t matter whether it was a leadership position or not, and that was something that was explained to the student.”

But Tobias says the reprimand prohibits her from doing her job.

“How can they keep me from communicating with my chief justice?” Tobias said, adding that Associate Dean of Student Life Loy Nashua, who issued the warning, did not educate her on how to deal with her staff.

“I thought I was doing the right thing by cc’ing my adviser and Loy. It turns out I was wrong,” Tobias said.

The resignations resulted in an incapacitated student government which for about two weeks canceled senate meetings.

Senator Brian Perez and VP Pro-Tem Monica Zambrano were appointed April 23 as vice president and president, records show.