The Legislative Judicial & Rules Committee Meeting took place on Thursday in the Student Government Association workroom to formulate questions that will be asked during the witness interviews in regards to the impeachment of SGA President Melissa Westbrook.
During witness interviews, the witnesses will be required to state their name, position and acknowledge that all testimony is truthful. The purpose of the questions asked in the interviews is to gain written testimony related to all charges stated on the affidavit of impeachment. Individual witness may be asked questions connected to certain events or meetings they have attended related to charges.
Read evidence submitted by RICE | WESTBROOK
The committee agreed during the meeting to ask witnesses around fifteen or more questions. The line of questioning cannot appear to be too specific because witnesses will not be allowed to speak on hearsay or speculate. Therefore, questions must be formulated in a non-leading manner. Committee members are however, allowed to ask a series of follow-up questions related to the general questions. The Legislative, Judicial & Rules Committee Meeting members worked throughout the meeting on Thursday to revise and reword the line of questioning in hopes of avoiding any hearsay answers.
Committee members agreed to tailor questions into categories based on the three charges found on the affidavit including misuse of funds, violation of the Sunshine Law, and failure in prescribed duties. Witnesses will only be asked questions related to the charges that they are connected to or have knowledge of. The LJR Committee decided to call for an informal period during the meeting today in order to give each committee member time to create their individual witness questions. Once the meeting was called back into formal session, each member read through their line of questioning and members proceeded to vote on which questions should be passed for the interviews. A few of the questions that were passed in today’s meeting can be seen below:
Charge: Failure in her prescribed duties
Do you have firsthand knowledge of any of the steps the accused took in order to inform the student body of these positions?
Are you responsible for updating the website in regard to open positions?
Were you delegated the responsibility in updating the website?
Charge: Violation of the Sunshine Law
Are you a member of the Pride Coalition?
Are you a liaison or have you ever been a liaison of the Pride Coalition?
When was the final decision regarding lifting of the Pride Coalition?
What was the date of the meeting you attended?
Was any matter discussed that might foreseeably come before the board?
Charge: Misuse of funds
Did the accused have permission to purchase a rental car from Activity and Service Fee?
Do you have personal knowledge of what the rental car was used for?
