Representative Union says it was cornered

Nili Yavin, vp communications of the Representative Union (RU) was accused of allegedly bribing New Organized Way (NOW) presidential candidate Luis Diaz over the phone on Nov. 25, but was never allowed to reveal her side of the story.
Since the petition began for the recall of former CSU President Sabrina Stea, the RU had been trying to form an alliance with NOW. Both slates are moderate and appear to share the same interests of changing the CSU.
On Nov. 23, the RU met with NOW to discuss NOW’s dropping out of the race to avoid splitting the vote. “We told them we could get them more involved so they could get more experience, but they weren’t receptive to that,” said RU presidential candidate Chris Schulz.
Then on Nov. 25 came the three phone calls. “I called [Diaz] up to smooth things over and to see how things were going,” Yavin said. Diaz made the next two phone calls, and she believed that the second conversation was taped since it had lasted between 40 to 50 minutes. “He called me back and said, ‘I’m not going to run. What can you do for me?’ I felt pushed into a corner and repeatedly said, ‘Luis, I cannot offer you paid positions.'”
NOW’s presidential candidate had a different story to tell. Diaz said that while Yavin had called him to smooth things over because of the meeting, she again tried to get him to drop out of the election. “She called me to apologize and to try to convince me [about] the advantages of dropping out of the election [and how] it would be better for us to get hands-on experience first.”
This annoyed him because Diaz had heard it before. “We’d already had this conversation many times. Before the campaign, they had been approaching us. We told them we were running and [were not] interested.”
Taping the conversation was done for a specific reason. “Originally, it was to have my group members know what [was] happening,” replied Diaz. “We [found] it really ridiculous that we [were] getting called and called for the same purpose when we’d told them no.” The conversations and his claim that Yavin had offered him paid positions propelled Diaz to file his complaint.
After Diaz handed the tape to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Jessica Lajambe between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Nov. 26, the CEO made her decision at midnight.
When Yavin found out about the disqualification, the tape and the allegations at 12:20 a.m., she and the other RU members were flabberghasted. “I was in shock,” she replied. “It [made] me sick that I was taken completely out of context and that the conversation was not taken in its entirety. It [hurt] me that [that was] the game Diaz and the CEO [wanted] to play.”
Lajambe’s decision did not allow the RU to tell their side of the story. Yavin said that the RU never received a written disqualification letter. “The CEO didn’t offer us a chance to contest the complaint in an appropriate manner,” said Schulz.
What Yavin found disturbing was how only two sentences were taken out of the whole conversation. “[They] were taken out of context, thus sensationalizing everything which consequently was misleading to the student body.”
Reinstatement of the RU occurred 12 hours later after it was disqualified and after Schulz’s lawyer sent a letter to Lajambe.
“The CEO is not allowed to disqualify a candidate before the election, [only] after,” said Schulz. “Her decision to disqualify us was completely illegal, and that’s why she reversed it.”
Lajambe, however, believed she was in the right with her decision at the time. “The regulations do not endorse corrupt practices. I think it [was] democratic.”
In regards to the tape, neither Yavin nor the RU members have heard it. “I asked her the next day, ‘Where’s the tape? Why can’t I hear it?’ She said that Diaz had it and it wouldn’t be available for a few days.”
Diaz denied that he ever had possession of the tape after he gave it in to Lajambe. “We don’t have the tape. The CEO has possession of [it],” he replied. When asked about the tape, Lajambe said that everything would be made known after the polling is over. “When the right time comes, I will give a press release.”
According to Yavin, the RU’s lawyer was their saving grace. “We wouldn’t be on the ballot if we didn’t protect our interests. Our lawyer basically made her abide by CSU rules.”
Lajambe is remedying the situation. Voting has been extended until Wednesday for students who voted on the morning of Nov. 27, since those votes will not count.
“The fact that Diaz was taping our conversation [made] me question if our negotiation was ever held in good faith. It also [looked] to us like a desperate attempt on Diaz’s part to formulate a setup. I was so nave to assume that the NOW’s interests were the same as ours [and] to think they were acting in good faith.”

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