After facing charges of gross negligence, incapacity to fully perform the duties of the office, and plurality of absence, Student Services Chairperson for the Arts College Government (ACG) Angeli Andan was effectively removed from office in a hearing held last August 29 in the USG Session Hall.
Grievances charged
ACG Vice Chairperson for Student Services Patricia Callo, who served as plaintiff during the proceedings, presented evidence such as chat logs and messages exchanged between her and her colleagues. The evidence showed that Andan was not responsive when contacted. Drew Beltran Acierto, who served as Associate for Student Services in the ACG, and previously served for two terms as a trainee, testified that Andan had failed to contribute or performed minimal contribution to Student Services’ activities, such as the “Fix My Flowchart” initiative.
Furthermore, Callo added that the defendant also failed to provide proper guidance on important matters, and failed to attend meetings. The plaintiff shared one instance where Andan failed to brief them properly on a project before travelling abroad for an international competition. The plaintiff also alleged that the defendant was very unresponsive for the previous two terms, showing an example of one chat exchange where it took over two months for the defendant to reply. Thus, Callo’s camp argued that the defendant was liable for her inaction with the responsibilities entailed by the office she is assigned to.
In Andan’s defense
Imari Takahashi, Andan’s witness and executive, defended the latter’s actions, citing that under her tenure in the Student Services Committee, Andan delegated the tasks to those she sees fit for the role. She cited a project assigned to her by Andan, a website for the ACG, where Andan apparently guided Takahashi in the process of gathering information for the said project. Unfortunately, she relayed that the project did not push through due to technical difficulties experienced during its creation. However, all information intended to be published in the website were still disseminated despite this setback.
In her defense, Andan explained that she asked for updates from the committee on a regular basis. She stated that she tried “to attend to the concerns of the students to the best of her ability.” She explained that if she was unable to represent the Student Services Committee then, she informed Aya Watanabe, then CLA College President, and Zeanne Garcia, incoming CLA College President, so that the Student Services Committee will be still be operational in her absence. Andan also added that she attended separate meetings with Watanabe and Garcia.
Furthermore, the defendant argued that the Leave of Absences she previously filed prevented her from coordinating with the committee concerned while she was abroad. She explained that as soon as she came back, she continued on with her duties, including a boothmanning shift in Arts Fest. The plaintiff debated against this claim.
Judiciary’s decision
Despite her defense, the Magistrates found the defendant guilty on all charges, except on plurality of absence. The ruling effectively bars Andan from holding future positions in the USG, including her recent election as Vice President for External Affairs.
