The J Street U chapter at Emory University has released an op-ed in The Emory Wheel describing the events that led to their charter being revoked due to what they say was lack of professionalism on the student government’s end.
Emory J Street U received a charter in November 2015 after a hearing and an additional request from the Emory College Council: submit 10 student signatures with ID numbers. 10 student signatures on paper with ID numbers. The chapter found 10 students “interested in and supportive of Emory J Street U’s formation” and sent in the paperwork, after which the charter was granted — but couldn’t access OrgSync, software that enables campus organizations to manage websites and membership.
After multiple unreturned emails, the chapter was notified in January that they were under investigation for falsifying the signature list. “No word of this allegation had reached us in the previous months and no official email laying out these charges was ever sent to our organization,” the executive board wrote.
“In fact, the only email we ever received regarding this matter was from the president of College Council on Jan. 31 notifying us of our de-chartering.”
Nine of the 10 signatories, the chapter said, were never contacted by anyone from College Council.
At an appeal argued before a Student Government Association jury, the College Council representative argued that the chapter had solicited signatures from non-members — though there is no official College Council definition of membership — but:
Rather than justifying that decision with an official rule, the College Council representative explained that concerns with our membership list arose from a conviction that certain individual signatories would never support the politics of J Street U. In fact, he disclosed that the investigation began when a member of College Council expressed disbelief that an acquaintance of theirs would support J Street U. Though SGA insisted they made an effort to depoliticize our case, which we appreciate, the inquiry’s basis in political assumptions about both our organization and our signatories must be taken seriously.
We left SGA’s committee to its deliberations after our hearing, as we were asked. Yet, for a reason unbeknownst to us, the College Council representative who had made the arguments against us was allowed to remain inside the room during the vote, harming its integrity.
Ultimately, SGA upheld College Council’s decision, and Emory J Street U remains unchartered.
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