The lawsuit against SIU's Board of Trustees over the selection of the Carbondale Student Trustee will leave the Board two members short, at least for now.
Trustee Chairman Randall Thomas says they were officially served with the suit this week. He says because of it, Carbondale's Jesse Cler won't be seated until a resolution is found. "The lawsuit has stopped everything, essentially, in our minds. We have to acknowledge the lawsuit, and so we are not moving forward with placing the student - either student or any student - at SIUC."
Cler's opponent in the Spring election - Nolan Sharkey - claims there were irregularities in Cler even getting his name on the ballot, and also accuses some administrators and faculty of getting involved in the election.
Cler released a statement late Thursday afternoon saying he is proud to have had the support of hundreds of students from both graduate and undergraduate student bodies. He says he and his constituents are working on gathering all information in order to defend the students of SIU and their rightful voice.
Cler says he believes the lawsuit is merely a political stunt for Sharkey, in order to accelerate his political career. Cler says he hopes this issue will be resolved as soon as possible.
