This post was written by Hatchet reporter Leonore Princiotti
GW’s Student Court rejected an appeal to reinstate a Student Association presidential candidate who was kicked off the ballot last month.
The court ruled that Kwasi Agyeman, who is taking both undergraduate and graduate classes, did not have grounds to make an appeal and would not be granted a trial.
Agyeman was slated to graduate in 2012, but outstanding requirements prevented him from completing his degree. As he takes his final Writing in the Disciplines course this semester, he is also auditing graduate student classes pending his acceptance into a master’s program at GW.
The decision was based on an SA policy that requires candidates to remain in the same degree program during elections and when they assume office.
Chief Judge Jeremy Carter said the group maintained the decision because it was uncertain whether Agyeman would remain at GW next year.
“He has not been accepted anywhere, so for us to say that he had been injured as a graduate student doesn’t apply,” Carter said, citing a rule that candidates must prove they were harmed by a JEC decision. “We’re not prepared to set the precedent that a senior who’s graduating and not coming back is being injured because they can’t run for an election.”
Agyeman was also denied the chance to file a second appeal. Still, he said his fight for changes in the GW community is not over.
“I’m going to lead a great wave and whoever comes with me, regardless of if I’m SA president or Kwasi the grad student. I don’t know why I thought I needed an elected office to make change,” Agyeman said.
