By Signe K. Skinion

An Undergraduate Student Government resolution asking the SIU Board of Trustees to decide the fate of two University Housing officials was voted down Wednesday night after the author lobbied the senate not to pass it.

The proposed resolution asked for a hearing to replace University Housing Director Ed Jones and Assistant Director of Residence Life Steve Kirk for alleged job misconduct. Jones allegedly presented the SIU Board of Trustees incorrect information about University Housing food service workers contracts. The resolution also stated that he did not properly supervise these workers, and misrepresented RHA as a legislative organization instead of a self-interest group. Kirk allegedly obstructed a senator attempting to conduct student surveys on over-21 housing.

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USG President Kim Clemens said this resolution would be destructive to USG if passed.

It (the resolution) will not improve but destroy any chance of USG and the Residence Hall Association from having any kind of working relationship and will demolish any credit USG currently holds, Clemens said.

Clemens said the resolution was poorly written and did not answer enough questions or give specific details to warrant a need for such a drastic action.

Andrew Ensor, Southern Hills senator and author of the resolution, asked USG not to pass it after listening to Jones state his position on the issues mentioned.

Jones told USG there was no basis for the resolution.

I did not have, nor am I a part of, contracts with the union workers, Jones said. Also, anywhere you go, you will hear complaints about the residence hall food, but over the last few years, we have been making changes to improve the quality. Finally, I would not want to do anything to separate the working relationship between RHA and USG.

Jones also addressed the issue of Kirk’s alleged obstruction of a senator working on student surveys about over-21 housing.

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What we have here is a sad case of miscommunication, Jones said. I have personally spoke with President Clemens and (Thompson Point) Senator David Vingren, and we came to a compromise for the situation by making Warren Hall (located in Thompson Point) only open for sophomores and up for next year.

However, in other business, USG passed a resolution that asks the SIU Board of Trustees to look at the policy change and possibly make corrections to it.

Ensor said the board needs to mediate this resolution because the agreement reached between Jones and the two senators does not meet the students concerned.

There are freshmen and sophomores waiting to get out of the Towers when they turn 21, and this policy is pushing them back in, Ensor said. This policy also goes against the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is the law of the land, since there is no access for disabled people on that side of campus.

Kirk told USG this resolution will cause more problems than they realize.

We have been doing room reservations this week, and there are already 100 to 200 students applied for Neely, Kirk said. There will be an impact on the students who have already reserved their rooms across campus if they have to wait for the Board of Trustees to decide this matter.