Hunter
06/09/11
The University of Iowa has sanctioned the Students for Disability Advocacy and Awareness organization for excluding and removing a member without due process.
The Gazette reports that the incident occurred during the spring semester, and the ousted member reported her concerns to the UI Office of Student Accountability in March. A subsequent investigation led to the sanctions.
In their report, they found the UISDAA lacked due process to remove an officer or member from the organization, allowed non-UI students to serve in leadership positions, and failed to seek advisory guidance from UI Student Disability Services as outlined in the group’s own governing documents.
It was also discovered that the group is without a staff advisor. Two former advisors reportedly expressed concerns and resigned for not heeding their advice.
The paper reports that a group leader resigned earlier in the spring, and the woman sought another member to keep the organization going. When she notified other officers about her concerns, she was reportedly excluded from discussions on the issue. The investigation revealed that remaining group leaders held secret meetings and removed the woman from communication channels by changing passwords.
The UI has ordered the group to immediately replace any students it removed, update its constitution, and educate themselves on university rules on student control of registered organizations.