ASUCR’s Parliamentarian Jose Rodriguez, who joined the organization this academic year and was responsible for advising the senate on proper procedure (i.e. Robert’s Rules of Order) and on following the bylaws correctly, was dismissed from his position this past week. During public comment at last Wednesday’s ASUCR meeting, Rodriguez informed the senators, most for the first time, that Executive Vice President (EVP) Andrea Cuevas had dismissed him earlier that day. When another constituent present at the meeting asked about the dismissal, Cuevas said that employee matters were closed.
Speaking with the Highlander, Rodriguez stated that he was “just trying to do (his) job,” as evidenced by a previous meeting in which he voiced concerns that the student government was not following their own bylaws.
“Another thing Robert’s rules doesn’t really approve of is adding items at the very last minute; during the meeting, that’s been done several times,” Rodriguez said. “As the parliamentarian I was advising … I don’t think we can have a meeting today because the agenda wasn’t set on time and it wasn’t posted at the chambers. So the EVP would say ‘Yes, but it’s really important so we’re going to have it anyways.’ It’s like ok, well I did my job, I advised.”
Speaking about the senators’ reactions, CHASS Senator Julian Gonzalez said that, “We were all shocked.” He also said that “I don’t know what the reason was for the dismissal so I guess I can’t have an opinion before knowing what actually happened or the reasons why he was dismissed.”
Gonzalez mentioned Rodriguez’s track record, saying, “(Rodriguez) was really passionate about getting the rules enforced which is really cool to have in ASUCR because we have a lot of rules and it’s really complicated.” He also said that “The reason why he was dismissed none of us know. I think it was just more of personal decision with the EVP and himself.”
It is still unclear what legislation has passed this year that may not have conformed to the bylaws. Cuevas was unavailable for comment at the time of this publishing. More information is forthcoming.
