Word: burton
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...vote, a majority of the Undergraduate Council voted last night to expel Vice President John A. Burton '01 from his position. Although the vote was short of the necessary two-thirds required to remove him, it highlights Burton's unethical campaign practices and signifies a lack of confidence in his ability to lead the council. His credibility damaged, Burton faces two options: a wasteful year-long struggle to lead a hostile council or a swift resignation from office for the good of Harvard student government. We urge him to choose the latter...
...meager 20 minutes that council President Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and parliamentarian Alex A. Boni-Saenz '01 allotted for the entire discussion reflected a complete lack of proportion and would have skewed the procedure in Burton's favor had council members not intervened. The repeated suspension of the bylaws by two-thirds majorities of the council demonstrates that the rules were arbitrary, poorly crafted and not well adapted for this setting. These procedural flaws were only compounded by the general lack of decorum and attention paid by many council members...
...this context, it is no surprise that the votes on the two articles of "impeachment" were in logical contradiction. On the first article, that Burton willfully misrepresented his use of campaign buttons as a "freely available resource" to the election commission, the council voted 47-33 against expulsion. On the second article, that Burton had acted improperly in taking the buttons from a student group, a majority of the council voted to expel him. It is hard to imagine how one could improperly take buttons that are freely given to students; one cannot steal a "freely available resource" any more...
After a majority of the council has called for his expulsion, Burton's resignation would be in the best interest of the council and the student body. If nothing else, the "impeachment" vote was a vote of no confidence in Burton. If a majority of the council members do not think he should even hold office, let alone serve as the second-in-command, it gives rise to serious doubts as to his ability to lead the council effectively in the coming year. Last month's skirmish over special election dates foreshadows the battles that are sure to come...
...your news article "Students Support Removing Burton" (News, Feb. 9) states, only 41 students were interviewed at four dining halls--hardly a scientific sample of an undergraduate body of 6,000. Of those 41, 24 students felt Undergraduate Council Vice President John A. Burton '01 should be removed. If this were the council impeachment vote, 24 votes out of 41 would not reach the two-thirds standard to remove Burton. Thus, there is hardly a clear consensus on the issue...