ASUWT’s first presidential removal exposes other problems

The Elias Feleke removal exposed gaps in procedure and communication that ASUWT can no longer afford to ignore.

By J.A. Aleman

Frustration and a tense atmosphere were clear in the first hour of the ASUWT Senate meeting on Dec. 9 due to an appearance by Elias Feleke, the former ASUWT President who was removed from his position earlier in the fall quarter. 

The removal came after months of silence and missed duties, and according to Senators and Internal Affairs, the lack of leadership kept student government from functioning in its full capacity. For more details given by the sources, check out the article from The Ledger. 

In his two minutes during public forum, Feleke wanted to plead his case that not everything in the process of his removal was transparent and he was disappointed. However, the removal, according to Speaker of the Senate, Bryce Scholten, was approved by the UW Attorney General, and this is something we are hearing for the first time. 

Feleke stated it was on record that there was a 90-day accountability process, but it never really took place. According to him, it was a five-day process from the removal to the actual trial itself.  

According to the bylaws, the internal accountability plan spans 60 days, though it’s not guaranteed because those days can be skipped depending on circumstances. ASUWT’s constitution requires only that one removal criterion be met, not that an accountability plan runs its full length, which may explain why parts of the process were abbreviated. 

At this point, we have to take the word of those representing the student body. He also spoke about a preliminary injunction that has opened up but said nothing else regarding what that would entail. Only time will tell what comes from that, but there is a record of Elias Feleke v. ASUWT on law.com. 

“I wanted to keep things internal and not have to go about things openly and in the courts,” said Feleke during the public forum at the Senate Meeting. 

Feleke went on to say that the article I wrote previously for The Ledger about his removal had contradictions, falsifications and grounds for defamation. He called it a “digital lynching” and said he didn’t think it was fair. 

The truth is, I can only go off of what I hear, and so far, the student body only has one side of the story, and that is not by choice. I did say in my previous article that I did contact Feleke for his side of the story and have not received it, but I am still very much willing to listen if he’s willing to tell it to the student body. 

Other business at the Senate Meeting was ASUWT Bill #1, by Senator Jayven Coppage, which argued that the September removal of Feleke may not have followed required disciplinary procedures, noting missing documentation, incomplete evidence review and possible issues with the Sept. 18 executive session’s compliance with open-meeting rules. 

The bill calls for creating a corrective rehearing process and a judicial committee to ensure fairness and transparency in future cases, through it does not reinstate the former president. After deliberation, the bill failed to pass. 

Reasons the bill failed to pass had to do with the time it would take to achieve, and the notion of not being stable enough as a government was brought up by some Senators. What I gathered by the comments was that the government was still trying to recover in the aftermath of the removal and focusing on the bill now would have them looking back instead of forward.  

Other comments had to do with looking into the bylaws for future endeavors was positive and it was alluded to by a few members that it would not be for the purpose of a retrial for the former president. 

The issue of transparency still stands through all of this, and it is vital for the life of the UWT campus that government be as open as they are able with the student body. But as far as I can see, everything was done behind closed doors. Because we still don’t have all the details of the situation shared openly or accessible for students to view. 

The story didn’t break until after that fact of the removal, and there is nothing in the bylaws that prohibit the senate from revealing this action. The only way it would be confidential is if there was a violation of the Student Code of Conduct which I have not seen here. 

There was much talk about transparency and being more engaged with the student body at the meeting by Senators, and though I heard the sincerity, actions are better than words. 

ASUWT’s YouTube channel has a live recording from the Senate meeting on Dec. 9 and the Town Hall on Dec. 2, but the most recent after that is an Executive Board Meeting from 6 months ago. The last update from ASUWT’s newsletter is from 2024. That’s not acceptable. 

This doesn’t all land on Feleke’s shoulders, but on all members of student body government. Good news is there are updated executive board and senate meetings where students could see agendas and minutes and what was said accurately on the ASUWT website.   

Feleke has not been asking for a relitigation when he shows up to meetings from what I understand, but a proper trial under amendment five of the U.S. Constitution. What he could be saying is that because ASUWT gets their authority from the state, then the fifth amendment of due process could apply. 

At the moment there is no appeal process in the bylaws or constitution of ASUWT, and frankly there should be because someone being removed for personal reasons within ASUWT in the future could be a problem. But I don’t see how this would benefit Feleke now as amending that would take time, which is something student government is trying to get back. 

My job is to report on what is going on to further the conversation and make sure the public knows what is happening around them. This goes beyond the former president, and all of this shows there is still much work to be done to recover time and none of this has been a good look for anyone. 

Over the coming quarters the student body will see what adjustments government will make and hopefully reap the benefits of the work currently underway and even see a more united front when it comes to issues facing students and the campus as a whole.