Disclaimer: SGA president Dhruvak Mirani is a former Diamondback opinion columnist.
The University of Maryland SGA voted Wednesday to begin an impeachment investigation into student body president Dhruvak Mirani for his conduct in dismissing former diversity, equity and inclusion co-director Mofi Solarin.
Solarin said she faced racism and microaggressions from SGA leadership.
The motion, which passed 8-5-13, came after Student Government Association members alleged Mirani exceeded his authority as president by firing Solarin for her behavior during a conflict with research and technology director Mateo Rojas. SGA representatives also called for the motion because they said Mirani was not doing his job to properly represent the student body amid its concerns.
Some SGA members said Mirani should have referred Solarin’s firing to the association’s ethics committee for an investigation. SGA bylaws state the student body president may dismiss director-level positions at their discretion.
Solarin told The Diamondback that on Nov. 4, Rojas had provoked her multiple times and targeted her in the main suite of the SGA office in Stamp Student Union, which escalated to a verbal altercation between them. She said she gave Rojas several chances to leave her alone.
“You can’t just provoke me and then play the victim,” Solarin said.
Mirani told The Diamondback he saw part of the interaction after another SGA member asked him to step into the main suite to de-escalate the situation. He said he listened to the interaction and said the two should revisit the conversation later. He said he then saw Solarin being “physically aggressive” toward Rojas by getting close to him and waving her hands in his face. After the altercation, Rojas filed a no-contact order against Solarin.
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In a Thursday statement to The Diamondback, Rojas wrote that he made and is still making multiple attempts to de-escalate the situation between himself and Solarin. He added that the situation is “being addressed through the proper channels within the university.”
He wrote that any allegations of racism were “baseless” and that he “absolutely did not say or do anything rooted in racism, prejudice, or bias.”
Mirani officially fired Solarin in an email on Nov. 11, stating it was a result of “egregious violations” to the SGA ethics handbook.
“I don’t see why I’m the only one being punished for something that was initiated or instigated by the other person,” Solarin told The Diamondback on Wednesday. “Fine, I did yell, but to defend myself. I yelled to defend myself because the SGA was not defending me.”
In a statement to The Diamondback on Thursday, Mirani wrote that the conduct he witnessed justified Solarin’s dismissal since it included physically threatening actions and led SGA members to express safety concerns.
“I have not ruled out further dismissals should additional information come to light justifying them — racism of any kind is not tolerated in SGA,” he wrote.
SGA academic affairs director Taryn Reinhart, who was also present during the altercation, said she filed her own no-contact order against Solarin with the student conduct office after the incident. Reinhart told The Diamondback on Thursday that she had previously filed a complaint to the SGA’s ethics committee in October against Solarin regarding a separate physical altercation.
In a statement to The Diamondback on Thursday night, Solarin said no one physically threatened Reinhart and that her allegation is “another unfounded claim.”
SGA members also attempted to begin an impeachment investigation on Mirani at last week’s meeting, but the motion failed.
The legislature can call for an impeachment investigation with a simple majority vote and a petition with at least 50 student signatures.
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SGA members reviewed a petition with 119 student signatures on Wednesday night. The petition was presented to this university’s Black Student Union and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter this week.
“It has come to our attention that racial discrepancies have been witnessed within our Student Government,” this university’s Black Student Union wrote in an Instagram statement Thursday, encouraging students to use support resources on campus.
“I don’t want anyone to think this case is out of bitterness or hate,” Solarin wrote in a statement to The Diamondback on Thursday. “It’s about standing up to bullying and microaggressions, not a particular person, but a series of questionable actions.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, Denton community representative Jordan Cheek said Mirani didn’t share both sides of the story on the conflict with members of the legislature. He added Mirani was “demeaning” in a closed session about the situation last week.
“He’s using his power a lot more than I think he should and I think there’s a lot of reason for us to impeach him,” Cheek said.
First year representative Alina Urena during Wednesday’s meeting said she questions Mirani’s leadership, adding that he should be unbiased and hold everyone on the SGA equally accountable.
Behavioral and social sciences representative Zachary Cecere said the SGA bylaws allow Mirani to dismiss members who are not doing their job, including those who violate the Student Honor Code.
“No cabinet can be expected to function when there is a member of the cabinet making other members of the cabinet feel they’re in danger,” Cecere said.
Claire Bandy, an off-campus neighboring representative, added Mirani was de-escalating the situation between the two directors and “filling his presidential duties.”
The impeachment investigation is being conducted by the accountability and ethics committee, which consists of three members appointed by the president and three representatives appointed by the speaker pro tempore. The committee is chaired by the SGA’s executive vice president and vice-chaired by the parliamentarian.
The committee may investigate misconduct allegations through conducting interviews, collecting evidence and drafting confidential reports. After completing the investigation, the committee can hold a trial before the legislature about the impeachment.
