Former SG president-elect officially files appeal
ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ
Former Student Body President-elect Moneer Kheireddine filed an appeal for a court decision last week that disqualified him and his running mate, Shaquille Kent.
The ticket originally won the popular vote with 5,385 of the 8,636 votes cast. But after five weeks of reviewing grievances while students were left in limbo, the Student Government (SG) Supreme Court found Kheireddine’s campaign in violation of “abusing the official capacity of their position (in an employee of the university) for their own personal campaign.”
The appeal went to the Dean of Students, Danielle McDonald, who said that she plans to have it reviewed in time for the inauguration scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m.
Kheireddine said he has not yet sought legal counsel to help with the appeal, but he is getting help.
Student Government Advising, Training and Operations did not respond to The Oracle’s request to obtain the letter of appeal submitted by Kheireddine.
The grievance accused Dika Ezevillo, a member of their campaign staff, of wearing an official USF name tag while actively campaigning on multiple occasions. The court determined that he was functioning in his official capacity at the time and abused his position because it was something not all students would have access to.
The opinion stated that it was not required for his actions to have impacted the vote in order for it to be an abuse of his position.
“We have a wide variety of students working with us tirelessly every day to submit evidence and work on building a stronger case for the appeal,” Kheireddine said.
Student Body President-elect Ryan Soscia said he will accept McDonald’s decision when it comes, even if it reinstates Kheireddine.
“I’m confident in the system and I’m confident that Logan and I, and our campaign, did things the right way,” he said. “We’ve made every effort to follow the rules and trust the processes. And that’s how we’ve gotten to this point.
“It takes one more week of trusting the process. Having this limbo isn’t good for anybody.”
More Stories
Taylor Swift USF course to be taught this fall
Are you “…Ready for it?” An English course offered on the Tampa campus will concentrate on Taylor Swift for the first time in the fall. The course, LIT3301: Cultural Studies and Popular Art, has been offered before as an English elective, but can be taken by students of any major. The class concentrates on […]
Marshall Student Center to replace elevators by December 2025
While students made their way into the Marshall Student Center (MSC) over the past year, they might have noticed signs in front of elevators reading they were under repair. One of the most commonly used elevators, behind the information desk at the MSC, was recently completely shut off. The motor on elevator one, on the […]
Abortion and marijuana amendments are pressing concerns for USF students
Florida voters will have the opportunity to decide the future of abortion and marijuana use in the state this November. Six amendments were approved at the beginning of April. These include amendment three, which addresses marijuana use, and amendment four, which addresses abortion. The abortion and marijuana amendments are especially important to college students according […]
LGBTQ+ USF students to be celebrated at Lavender Ceremony
Intimate graduations are held at USF for students who wish to cross the graduation stage in a more personal setting alongside their friends and families. This year’s Lavender Ceremony is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ students at USF to participate in a graduation ceremony that celebrates their community. The 2024 USF Lavender Ceremony will be held […]
USF announces stadium groundbreaking date
Time to break out the shovels. A groundbreaking ceremony for the on-campus stadium will be held during Homecoming Week, scheduled for Oct. 14-19, 2024, USF announced Thursday. The university said it would break ground in the fall of this year at a Board of Trustees meeting in December. The stadium is expected to be completed […]
Appealing your USF parking ticket? Find out if it can be approved.
Think your USF parking ticket is worthy of an appeal? Statistically, it’s unlikely. Everyone who parks on campus and does not follow parking rules is subject to parking citations. The next step is to determine whether the citation holder’s reasoning will be enough for Parking & Transportation Services (PATS) to dismiss the fine. Related: Got […]