Dear Impeachment Review Board and fellow Student Government Senators,
We all see Connor Clegg’s fast approaching impeachment trial.
It’s become apparent this may be the defining moment of our entire Student Government careers and, considering the campus climate, deserves our full consideration.
Clegg’s impeachment trial is the culmination of the many instances of white supremacy on our campus. Because of the scrutinous national attention on Texas State, the trial will be representative of the way campuses across the country combat white supremacy. It’s no longer just for our students, but for potential students, potential donors, and the rest of the country.
This is a scary thought.
We live in a digital media age where everything is permanent. Clegg learned the hard way the consequences of the internet: you can’t take anything back.
Anything we do with these articles of impeachment — admitting or denying his abuses of power — will be permanent.
What happens to Clegg will always have our names attached. If we fail to impeach him people will always know of the time we chose to prevent the removal of an abusive leader, that we chose to protect someone who attempted to steal the First Amendment rights of students of color.
We should direct our attention to the student body. Our students have done a tremendous job of mobilizing and informing themselves. They are re-learning their rights, using government code to their advantage and demanding they be accurately represented in politics.
Students and citizens are more civically engaged than history has seen in decades. It’s empowering and beautiful and also a little scary. We must realize that the fire under Clegg does not end at Clegg; the heat will be transferred onto anyone who intentionally ignores student demands of impeachment. The student body may not yet know how to remove us from office, but they will find that information, and just like with Clegg, will channel tremendous amounts of energy into the effort.
We live in times of rapidly increasing transparency and accountability. We, as elected officials, must remember this when making decisions, most especially when making decisions with such weight as the impeachment of Student Government President Connor Clegg.
Really, this decision is only officially ours. The court of public opinion has already decided, and now it is up to us to reflect that with our votes.
I wish all of you the best of luck with this decision. This situation has the potential to burn many sensible people’s careers for the mistakes of one less mindful person. I trust that you will all find it within you to accurately represent our student body.
Best Regards,
Claudia Gasponi
Senator, University College