By Gerard Albert III/Assistant News Director
The president of the Student Government Council at the Modesto Maidique campus and an SGC-MMC senator committed multiple ethical violations by signing a contract that guaranteed paid positions in SGA, according to the Internal Affairs Committee.
SGC-MMC Senator Javier Ortiz resigned shortly before an Internal Affairs committee meeting Wednesday, Sept.12, where it was revealed they received an anonymous email containing a handwritten contract signed by Ortiz and Jose Sirven, the president of SGC-MMC.
The written contract between Sirven and Ortiz coordinating the Spring 2018 elections. Photo sent to Student Media and members of SGA.
The contract also contained names and signatures of multiple SGA officials, including SGC-MMC Comptroller Carolina Gonzalez.
The contract, which Student Media also received, guaranteed paid positions for Gonzalez and others. The contract is believed to have been authored during a closed-door meeting between both political parties FIYOU and FIVIEWS when they decided to merge in March 2018.
The agreement, according to members of student government was that Sirven, representing FIYOU, would run unopposed and in return he would appoint members of FIVIEWS to paid positions.
The Internal Affairs committee filed an official complaint after the meeting to be considered by the SGA Supreme Court based off the allegations. The Senate will hear the complaint and vote to move forward with an impeachment trial or not on Monday, Sept. 17.
Ortiz said his resignation comes after receiving a job offer and is not to avoid discipline from SGA. In his resignation letter Ortiz states lack of time and his new job as reasons for leaving.
The senators mentioned in the contract say they had no idea they were mentioned. They also said they didn’t know about the contract until the email was released by Internal Affairs.
Ortiz said he did not write any of the contract but he did sign it as a representative of his party, FIVIEWS. He also said the signing members were aware of wrongdoing.
“I don’t think I was familiar enough with some of the statutes to believe in a violation,” said Ortiz. “Did we think that promising positions was wrong? Yes, so I was aware of that.”
As for guilt, Ortiz recognizes that his resignation amid the alleged violations will be seen by some as a way to avoid disciplinary actions.
“I’m sure people think that [I’m trying to run from getting in trouble],” said Ortiz. “But I don’t care, at the end of the day my paycheck is going to be pretty big.”
Ortiz is still a member of the Constitutional Review Committee, who have been making edits to the constitution to reflect the merger of the Student Government Councils. The merger is still not supported by all the members of SGA and will go to a vote the week of September 24.
Student Media contacted Sirven for a statement but he did not respond in time for publication.
Featured image by Gabriella Pinos/PantherNOW
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