Senator-at-Large request for an impeachment

By:Alexis Butler

Students returned to Alabama State University on Jan. 8 from a month-long winter break and immediately heard the breaking news. While away for winter break, Senator-at-large, Dax Craig, filed a letter of impeachment to formally request that the Student Government Association (SGA) Attorney General, Autumn Pate and the judicial branch conduct an investigation into the misuse of power and neglect of duties on behalf of the Student Body President, David Whitlow Jr. and Executive Treasurer, Aliyah Muhammad and to consider their removal of office.

“This was actually a response to the letter that we wrote during the fall semester,” Craig explained. In November, the Senate issued a letter to the judicial branch addressing the misuse of funds by Muhammad and Whitlow’s failure to properly respond to previous legislation passed.

Constitutionally, the Student Senate is responsible for requesting the judicial branch to conduct an investigation. “These are the words of every person in the Senate…  anyone could have made the request, but I took it upon myself to do so,” Craig said.

“We are requesting this investigation on the grounds of neglect of duty on behalf of David Whitlow and misuse of SGA funds in the case of Aliyah Muhammad,” Craig continued to explain that Whitlow failed to enroll as a full-time student for the summer semester when his tenure began, fill vacancies within the Senate, and to complete the proper requirement for advisors, i.e one faculty advisor, and one staff advisor. “In addition, he was not in good social standing. In November, a video surfaced of him acting in a very inappropriate way,” Craig added.

As the treasurer, Aliyah Muhammad is responsible for all purchases made on behalf of SGA. “Money was taken out of the SGA budget without the Senate’s approval, which is unconstitutional,” said Craig. This money was used to purchase dress clothes for the entire Magic City Classic weekend. In the past, only the six executive officers would receive funding for clothing, those six being the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, attorney general, and chief-of-staff. During the 2019 Magic City Classic, seven members of SGA received dress clothes for the weekend, including the six previously stated and the chief justice.

While the judicial branch did find sufficient evidence to proceed in the trial of the impeachment, the SGA Attorney General Autumn Pate failed to bring charges to the judicial branch, as required by the Constitution.

The judicial branch found it necessary that Pate recuse herself from the case involving Muhamad due to a conflict of interest. During a previous Senate meeting Pate jumped out of her seat to defend Muhammad as she was being questioned about the use of funds during the 2019 Magic City Classic. It would be unconstitutional to allow Pate to serve as the acting Attorney General during Muhammad’s case, therefore leaving the Senate to confirm an interim attorney general to serve prosecute Muhamad’s case.