Cleaning house

On Friday, the Executive Board of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization held an impeachment trial for the organization’s moderator, Paul Rohwer. Headed into the event, it was unclear whether Rohwer was in violation of the GPSO constitution and how the organization would react to the three charges levied against him. One controversy involved the potential mismanagement of funds, and the others pertained to verbally abusive treatment of GPSO members. However, Rohwer’s fate was not to be shipped out of office, as the representatives voted 30-9, overwhelmingly in favor of allowing him to keep his post.\nAlthough Rohwer was not found guilty of the claims that the Executive Board issued, the meeting revealed troubling problems within the organization. One immediate concern that surfaced is how the leadership of GPSO will continue, as the Executive Board and the moderator are now at odds and seemingly have been for some time. A factional leadership will no doubt have difficulty working together for the benefit of graduate students.\nBut beneath the difficulty of having people in top positions who can’t get along, there lie deeper areas of concern. Comments made during the question and answer session by the voting representatives of the GPSO raised serious concerns about their leaders. For example, when the members of the Executive Board and Rohwer had trouble answering questions concerning the letter of the GPSO constitution, one representative wondered aloud whether, because of the impeachment, the leadership had just read the document for the first time. While both the Executive Board and Rowher denied this, saying they had read the constitution in the past, from that point on, the representatives appeared clearly exasperated with all members of their leadership. Similarly, under an alternative interpretation of the constitution, it was unclear whether the board had the power to bring an impeachment trial at all, and early in the meeting it appeared as though there would be a motion to dismiss all charges. The hearing continued, but the result was the same as if the charges had been dismissed.\nThe GPSO, under Rohwer’s leadership, has seen at least some success in recent months – the most noteworthy victory coming when they obtained dental insurance for IU graduate students. However, in its current state and in light of the attempted impeachment of Rowher, it seems unlikely that the organization will see other such victories. Before there can be adequate representation of graduate students at IU, the quibbling problems within the GPSO leadership must be resolved, and the organization’s constitutional procedures must be clarified.\nIt now rests in the hands of the GPSO representatives to hold their leaders accountable for the actions they have taken both before and during Rohwer’s impeachment. Whether this involves a massive overhaul of the GPSO constitution or other actions, such as censure of Rohwer – one suggestion made at the impeachment proceedings – will be up to them. But in its current unstable form, the GPSO is little more than a group of graduate students who sit in a room and argue. The organization must quickly and efficiently resolve these problems for the well-being of IU’s graduate students.