Sakala faces vote of no confidence

Associated Students Inc. president Geoff Sakala faces a vote of no confidence by fellow ASI board members.

Lane Kasselman, director of arts and letters, and Sean South, vice president of university affairs, are proposing legislation calling for a vote of no confidence against Sakala at today’s board meeting.

Kasselman said that Sakala interprets ASI bylaws to serve his own purpose and has his hands full with responsibilities that keep him from his duties as ASI President.

“Geoff is not leading the board. He does not communicate enough with other board members,” Kasselman said. “What the board needs is a common consensus builder, a person to rally the troops.”

South was more pointed in his critique of Sakala’s performance to date.

“Geoff is arrogant and treats board members as if they are his own employees, not the independent student representatives that they are,” South said

South said he was upset at the way Sakala handled the appointment process of the CSUS Foundation Board.

“Basically, Geoff has failed to follow the direction of the board. He uses his powers in a very self-serving manner,” South claimed.

The Foundation Board appointments were rejected by university president Donald Gerth because only three names were sent over by ASI. Members of ASI refused to send more names because there were only three open positions for the Foundation Board. At Wednesday’s board meeting, Sakala’s motion to add more names to the list failed.

“I think that it is ridiculous,” Sakala said. “I know that I have the support of the board of directors.”

Sakala said he has yet to hear a clear reason of why the vote of no confidence is being brought against him.

“I have stood up to Sean on some issues and refused to back down so he is frustrated,” Sakala said. “I will not play his games.”

South acknowledged that it will not be easy to pass the legislation.

“This issue is hard; board members might be afraid to come forward and do what is right,” South said.

However, many of the board members spoke in support of Sakala.

“To be honest, this is disheartening. I was shocked to see this item on the agenda,” said Chris Missick, director of social sciences and interdisciplinary studies. “Geoff has done a great job as president. He is a great representative of the student body.”

Jason Bryant, executive vice president, believes that a vote of no confidence is uncalled for based on the reasoning given by the authors.

“The allegations put forth do not warrant a vote of no confidence”, Bryant said. “The ends do not justify the means.”

“Legislation such as this tends to divide the board and dilute its ability to influence policy within the university,” Jacob Armstrong, ASI officer said.

Kasselman said he does not wish to pursue legislation that would remove Sakala from office. “I think Geoff can change. ASI is a laboratory where people can build their leadership skills and I’m hoping this action can help build his,” Kasselman said.

Former ASI president Gary Davis said this type of conflict among board members is normal and happens in universities all over the nation.

“Any time a group of student leaders comes together and is learning how to govern, you will have conflict and personality clashes,” Davis said. “As a result, student governments end up battling each other instead of issues for students. It’s unfortunate.”