The ASUU Elections Committee heard a new grievance charge against the HOUSE Party involving forcing a student to take off a Peak Party shirt and put on a HOUSE Party shirt Wednesday.
This was the final meeting of the Elections Committee this year. The committee will release the rulings today.
ASUU brought forward a grievance alleging that Jake Zimmerli, a senior in bioengineering, forced an international student to remove his Peak Party shirt and put on a HOUSE Party shirt in front of other HOUSE Party members. A case involving the incident was also opened with the dean of students. The case was presented by ASUU attorney general Kim Barnes, a law student.
“I feel like the conduct itself is egregious and that a message needs to be sent that this sort of activity is not acceptable,” Barnes said.
Zimmerli said it started as a joke with other HOUSE Party members to see if he could get the student to switch shirts. He said they had a friendly conversation, and he had no malicious intent.
“It was casual and friendly,” Zimmerli said. “I just wanted a shirt so I could have both.”
The student’s roommate, Will Galske, an undecided freshman, said the student was upset by the incident.
“I had the gut feeling he was not himself, and it was because of what had happened, and I think that completely crosses the line,” Galske said.
HOUSE Party presidential candidate Nick Ferre, a master’s student in education leadership and policy, said it was concerning that the interpretation of the incident came from the roommate and not the student himself.
“It’s our speculation and pure speculation that the embarrassment the student felt possibly from the exchange that happened … but also from the fact that he is returning to a suite where they are all Peak members and doesn’t feel comfortable making his own decision,” he said.
ASUU also filed a grievance charging the HOUSE Party of making promises in exchange for votes to the One Love Ski Club. The charge is based on an email sent by the club organizers to its members. ASUU Elections Registrar Maria Mooers-Putzer said the election party may have been promising the club preferential treatment.
Ferre said the email was just an expression of the party’s platform and not a promise for goods or services.
The HOUSE Party filed a grievance against Peak Party vice presidential candidate Bridger Harris, a junior in marketing, for posting a video of himself dancing and lip syncing to “Dream Fighter” with the caption “Why should you vote Peak? Watch this and prepare to be convinced.” The compliant said it gives the party an unfair advantage.
Peak Party campaign manager Janean Ford, a senior in economics and international studies, said the video was a repost of a video posted in January 2012 and had nothing to do with the campaign. She also said it did not give the Peak Party any unfair advantages.