The Student Code policy preventing some student government members from also participating in the Honor Court has come under fire.
At a meeting Tuesday of the Student Congress, District 6 representative Lee Storrow accused Jagir Patel and Taylor Mercado of violating the code’s conflict of interest clause.
Patel and Mercado serve as vice chairman and vice chairwoman on their respective committees within the executive branch of student government. They also serve on the Honor Court.
Though he proposed a resolution that would have brought the two before the student congress ethics committee, Storrow said on Wednesday that his true intention was to call attention to the conflict of interest — and to have the section prohibiting involvement in both the Honor Court and student government reviewed.
“Congress was frustrated that the law was not followed. It is important that we do follow the law,” Storrow said, adding that the executive branch is likely to make an alteration to the policy. “There are members of (student) congress that are very supportive of changing the policy, that it is outdated.”
The policy in question prohibits student government members at or above the rank of committee co-chairman from serving on the Honor Court. As part of the resolution, Storrow alleged that Patel and Mercado served as de facto chairmen on their respective committees and held the title of vice chairman to circumvent the policy.
Mercado could not be reached for comment. Patel declined to comment.
The language of the resolution was changed at the Tuesday meeting to merely suggest their appearance before the ethics committee instead of ordering them to do so.
Student Body Secretary Ian Lee said the policy, as it pertains to the Honor Court, is unnecessary, arguing that there is no overlap between the two institutions.
