Editor’s note: When this article first published online, Alyson’s first name was misspelled. It has been changed to the correct spelling.

April 24, 2013: The sanctions against Alyson Morgan can be found here: http://wp.me/p357f0-6PF

By Linsey Garrison

The 2013 election board met on Thursday April 18 to review a grievance that was submitted by Rebecca Harrell on April 8 against Alyson Morgan.

The board found Morgan guilty of violating ASEWU bylaws regarding the distribution of campaign materials.

In her grievance, Harrell stated that it had been brought to her attention that candidate Aly Morgan had been handing out campaign materials previous to being made an official candidate for ASEWU president.

“I feel that, as ASEWU president, I should make sure these elections are running as smoothly as possible. Once this was brought to my attention, the appropriate action was to go through the election board,” said Harrell.

Harrell said in her written statement that on April 4 a pin that said, “Vote Aly Morgan for president,” was found face down on a desk in the ASEWU office. The same day an EWU student was also seen jokingly putting on another pin, after which Morgan asked him to take the pin off as she had not filed yet.

“I witnessed the scenario with [the student wearing the pin], and it just at that moment crossed my mind that that is a grievance. I do not think there was any ill intent by it, to get above or beyond other candidates, but it depends on how you interpret that bylaw,” said Justin Filla.

Morgan read aloud three different definitions of the word “distribution” during the hearing. She stated that she did not believe she had violated ASEWU bylaws by sharing the pins privately with friends and not the public.

“The two people who had received [a pin] are close friends and were potential candidates that I would be running with at that point, and they were very woefully instructed not to advertise. It was a private interaction between me and one of my friends,” said Morgan.

“I was not by any means trying to get an upper hand. … It was just strictly an advisory, friend-to-friend interaction, ‘Do you like these?’ kind of thing. There wasn’t any ill intent whatsoever, and I do apologize,” said Morgan.

During ASEWU elections in 2011 presidential candidate Kadija Sesay was declared ineligible for violating the same by-law. Sesay created a Facebook group to announce and promote her campaign several days before receiving her candidacy packet.

When Sesay learned that she had created the group prior to the allowable date for campaigning she informed the Director of Elections of the ASEWU, Parker Hemingway. Hemingway found the group to be in violation of ASEWU Bylaw 206A, section 5, subsection A, and filed a grievance against Sesay suggesting she be removed from the ballot.

Sesay attempted to appeal the decision citing that she had not received proper process when her name was removed from the ballot and that she had not been fully informed of the rules and ASEWU bylaws regarding campaigning.

A written sanction regarding Morgan’s candidacy will be issued this week.

The general election will take place Tuesday, May 7.