A prospective member of the Undergraduate Senate accused them of acting "unacceptabl[y]" and using a "double standard" after the SG deferred his confirmation. He was one of three not confirmed, out of a group of seven prospective senators.
Seth Rosenstein applied for a vacant class of 2012 senate seat and went before the Senate using an expedited process for confirmation so he could fill the seat immediately.
As Rosenstein, a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, was asked to disclose his outside obligations, he said he volunteered at the White House and was a member of the College Republicans. However, he did not disclose his AEPi obligations, according to a statement from Senate Speaker Anthony Dunham.
Rosenstein said he did not view AEPi as a significant time commitment.
"In the case of my fraternity, I do not spend a great amount of time weekly to focus on it and therefore did not feel at the time that this was appropriate, concerning the question asked," Rosenstein said.
Rosenstein and SG Comptroller Matt Handverger, who is facing impeachment charges, are both members of the same fraternity.
"In the course of debate upon the confirmation, a concern was raised about [Rosenstein's] omission of this fact," Dunham said in the statement.
But Rosenstein feels that members of the Senate might have viewed his AEPi membership negatively.
"Considering the recent events, I do question [whether] what happened today was because of the recent actions taken against Matt Handverger," he said. "I was assured by Speaker Dunham that there would be no sort of bias against my confirmation hearings because I was affiliated with the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. However, this was not the case."
When Rosenstein goes before the Committee on Rules and Privileges on Sept. 13, he will fully cooperate, he said.
"I will answer any and all questions honestly and to the best of my ability," Rosenstein said.
Overall, Rosenstein said he was disappointed with how the situation was handled.
"This sort of double standard that took place today is not something that students should expect of their student government," he said. "The Undergraduate Senate should be held to a higher standard. The conduct that took place today was unacceptable."
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