Former Student Government President Connor Clegg was impeached and removed from office April 16 during a joint session of the Student Government Senate and the Graduate House of Representatives.
Interim Supreme Court Chief Justice Jordan Duran said under Article 7 Section 4 of the Student Government Constitution that Clegg is formally removed from office. Clegg, found guilty by a majority vote of all six articles of impeachment, has 48 hours to vacate his office and is ineligible to hold Student Government office again. Clegg is the first Student Government president to be impeached at Texas State, according to Dean of Students Margarita Arellano.
The articles of impeachment cite Clegg’s use of Student Government social media to call for the defunding of The University Star after the publishing of a controversial column on whiteness and cite Clegg’s personal social media posts on Instagram in 2017.
Following Student Government’s failure to meet quorum April 11 and students’ subsequent 53.5-hour sit-in protest, Arellano tweeted that a second joint session would be held in place of Student Government’s annual banquet. The session began at 7:06 p.m. with all 40 senators in attendance.
Sen. Claudia Gasponi and House Leader Mael Le Noc argued on behalf of the articles of impeachment against Clegg.
“This is not about if Connor is racist and if we don’t like him,” Gasponi said during her opening statement. “This is about breaking the code and the constitution. Connor is on trial because he grossly failed to represent the student body.”
During Clegg’s opening statement, he encouraged senators to vote against him in order to protect themselves. Clegg said threats have been made against senators absent at the April 11 meeting.
“When you’re successful, you make waves,” Clegg said during his opening statement. “When you’re successful, you make enemies.”
In an interview with The Star after the trial, Clegg said he is considering filing an appeal.
Emmy Orioha, political science junior and president of the Pan African Action Committee, participated in the sit-in protest and helped draft the list of requests made to administrators, which extend beyond the removal of Clegg.
“At the end of the day, Connor Clegg is one person,” Orioha said. “What is going to fix this institution and what needs to change in this institution is more than one person.”