Syracuse University’s Student Association has found presidential and vice presidential candidates Justine Hastings and Ryan Golden not guilty of a campaign violation.

David Bruen, chair of SA’s board of elections and membership, presented an investigation report on Hastings and Golden’s presidential campaign at Monday night’s Assembly meeting. The report alleged the campaign violated a bylaw prohibiting the use of academic email listservs for campaign purposes.

SA’s Judicial Review Board found Hastings and Golden’s campaign not guilty of those violations at a hearing Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled with this result,” Golden said in a statement to The Daily Orange. “These rules are contradictory and counterproductive to progress.”

Hastings sent an email containing a campaign flyer to Huey Hsiao, associate director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, who then forwarded the email to the WellsLink Scholar listservs on March 3, according to Bruen’s initial report.

The email would only have constituted a violation if Hastings had sent it during the campus voting period, according to the JRB’s findings. The voting period begins every year on the second Monday of April.

Hastings said in a statement Monday that SA’s bylaws should define what constitutes an academic bylaw more clearly. The WellsLink listserv is part of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and is not an academic listserv as SA policy specifies, she said.

“We are elated to hear that SA has recognized the flaws of the bylaws concerning the election process,” Golden said in a statement to the Daily Orange. “The lack of clarity and abundance of ambiguity can be a (hindrance) for campaigns looking to make this campus a better place.”

The JRB recommended BEM not impose any sanctions against Hastings and Golden’s campaign, the board said in its findings.

Hastings and Golden announced their campaign Feb. 18. The only other pair of candidates, Morgan Eaton and David Williams, announced their candidacy Feb. 28.

Increasing SA’s transparency, expanding student resources and supporting demands from #NotAgainSU are the focuses of Hastings and Golden’s campaign, the candidates said in a statement to The Daily Orange.

Hastings, a junior secondary English education and English and textual studies major, currently serves as secretary of SU’s Pride Union. She’s also a resident advisor and an academic coach at the Center for Learning and Student Success.

Golden, a junior policy studies and religion major, was an SA Assembly member from 2017 to 2019. Golden served as co-chair of the academic affairs committee between 2018 and 2019. He previously ran for SA president in 2019 alongside vice presidential candidate Kailee Vick.

Published on March 11, 2020 at 12:13 am

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu