Congress pushes back VP decision

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Student Congress decided to postpone its decision regarding the nomination of Adrian Johnston as student body vice president.

Representatives originally struck down Johnston’s nomination by a 12-7 vote after a heated discussion that lasted almost 2 1/2 hours and ended with two abstentions. Members later resolved to re-examine Johnston’s nomination during a meeting next Tuesday.

During the initial discussion, Congress members raised a bevy of concerns. Johnston’s personal character, his administrative qualifications, his friendship with Student Body President-elect Seth Dearmin and the process by which he was selected all proved to be bones of contention.

When representatives realized the scope of the information presented, many said they thought they were not sufficiently prepared to assess the allegations raised against Johnston.

“I feel that a lot of people have doubts and concerns,” said Rep. Blakely Whilden, who voted to reconsider the nomination. “We could have some conversations to clear up.”

Most representatives were not prepared for Rep. Anisa Mohanty’s questioning of Johnston’s ability to maintain solid working relationships, Whilden said.

During the meeting, Mohanty said she and other women who have worked with Johnston have felt underappreciated.

“I was told that some issues were going to come up,” Whilden said. “But I think Anisa’s concerns were not made public until she decided to announce them (at the meeting).”

Speaker Charlie Anderson said the extra week will allow members to discuss the allegations and to solidify the reasoning behind their votes.

“A couple of people are against Adrian,” Anderson said. “There are others who trust those people but don’t know the situation, and there are other people who feel very uneasy.”

Rep. Kris Wampler said the extra time will prove detrimental to the selection process.

“I feel like people are just trying to delay this to pressure people into voting for Adrian,” he said. “No one is going to be bringing up any new information. They’re only going to be able to use this time to pressure people and get votes.”

Dearmin also faced criticism during the meeting when Congress members challenged the selection process, in which Dearmin chose Johnston from three candidates picked by a selection committee in a closed meeting.

Representatives raised concerns regarding those closed meetings and the extent to which Dearmin and Johnston’s friendship played into the nomination.

“(Johnston) was not rated very high by the selection committee,” Wampler said. “I believe it was Seth who kept pushing him.”

But Dearmin said Wampler’s claims are unfounded.

Johnston, who is a Morehead Scholar and has served as a member of the honor system, acted as Dearmin’s campaign manager.

“There’s no question in any mind that he is far and away the most qualified candidate,” Dearmin said. “He was seen as qualified by the committee and me.”

For now, Dearmin faces a shaky start to his relationship with Congress and the prospect of temporarily having a short-staffed administration — two situations student government leaders called unfavorable at best.

“It’s unfortunate he has to come in on the defensive,” said Alexa Kleysteuber, student body vice president.

Student Body President Matt Calabria said he thinks student government members are wise enough to set aside differences to keep effective policy-making as their top priority. But he also added that this is a critical time for Dearmin.

“This period is one where relationships are being defined,” he said.

Despite the delay, Johnston said he is encouraged by the amount of support he received.

“I was pleased in a way with the reception,” he said. “There were a lot of unsettling issues coming up. I respect that they want to be cautious before they need to approve the vice president.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.