After a heated special meeting held on Oct. 11, the American University Undergraduate Senate voted to remove Javier Benzan, Class of 2027 senator and chair of the Committee on Student Rights and Academic Services, effective immediately, for allegedly failing to uphold his responsibilities this semester.
The charges claimed that Benzan had only attended two weekly senate meetings this semester and showed a general “lack of professionalism.” They also claimed that he failed to schedule regular meetings with the dean of undergraduate education, a requirement as chair of SRAS.
Benzan, a junior in the School of International Service, was voted into the senate last fall. Benzan led a resolution campaign in his first term, which called on the University to allow the use of dining dollars at both of AU’s student-run cafes, asking for the reversal of a decision made earlier that semester. The University has not yet reversed its decision despite the resolution passing in the Senate.
In order for a hearing to be called, the removal charges needed support from at least 20 percent of the Undergraduate Senate. Catherine Volk, a senator for SIS and chair of the Committee on Oversight, Transparency and Accountability, helped author the charges against Benzan.
“I’m glad we have set this standard for the rest of the senate and we aren’t falling into a cycle of doing nothing like previous senates have,” Volk said.
The hearing was halted numerous times as senators spoke over one another and made remarks directed at each other, both violations of the meeting rules.
Benzan spent his time on the stand defending his actions, pointing to other senators who he claimed had worse attendance and legislative records compared to his.
However, the largest of Benzan’s grievances was his appointment as SRAS chair earlier this semester, which came after he repeatedly told his colleagues that he did not want the position. According to Benzan, this was due to the perceived incompetence of the only other eligible senator, resulting in his involuntary nomination.
“I was the only one advocating for them to be chair,” Benzan said about his support for the other SRAS chair candidate. “I think it’s a little unfair to give someone a job they don’t want and then kick them out of the entire senate because they didn’t do the job that they never wanted.”
Volk said she sees the situation differently, claiming Benzan has failed as both a chair and a senator. She also pointed out that he could've stepped down as chair of SRAS at any point following his nomination.
The vote to find Benzan guilty was eight yea and four nay, narrowly reaching the two-thirds supermajority needed for the senator’s removal.
Despite the intense nature of the meeting, Volk said she believes that the hearing was not personal and focused purely on his actions as a senator. Benzan disagreed, believing the charges brought against him were personal, and spoke harshly about AUSG following the meeting.
“The reality is student government doesn't represent the student body, they haven't in a while,” Benzan said. “They spend all their time fighting and electing themselves to more positions; that’s just not a way to build trust with the student body.”
This article was edited by Payton Anderson, Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Emma Brown, Avery Grossman, Ariana Kavoossi and Audrey Smith.
