Sam Rogers, a candidate for student government president, is facing accusations that he used his position as president of the Residence Hall Association to send a campaign email, according to a notice released Thursday by the SG Judicial Board.
Rogers’ hearing, which is open to the public, is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m., three hours after voting closes. The location of the hearing has yet to be announced.
Robyn Walters, the director of compliance for Jarryd Delaney’s presidential campaign, accused the Rogers campaign of three violations of SG’s elections policy book. She alleged that Rogers used his official powers as president of RHA to campaign and harassed students “who did not voluntarily give their emails to the Rogers’ campaign,” according to the notice written by Noah Wills, the chair of the Judicial Board.
Walters also argued that Rogers’ email was not in “good taste with campaign regulations,” the notice said. She declined to be interviewed for this article, and Delaney did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
The email cited in the complaint was not made publicly available by SG, but The Eagle obtained an email sent by Rogers -- through his AU email -- to several students Wednesday night.
Rogers began the email by stating, “Another email, I know; but at least I'm not Facebook messaging you.” He then listed issues included on his platform and the endorsement of his campaign by AU’s NAACP chapter, all of which “sets [him] apart from [his] opponents,” Rogers wrote.
He wrote that his platform is the only one to address hiring faculty of color, offering help for undocumented students and improving conditions for Aramark workers, among other issues.
“The differences are striking,” Rogers wrote. “If you think so too, take a minute to show that the environment matters, that support for communities of color matters, that experiences matter, that the issues above matter - even if I’m the only one talking about them.”
In an email, Rogers said he was told by the Judicial Board that he is not allowed to discuss the details of the case since it is ongoing.
“What I can say, however, is that the accusations are completely baseless and are a last-ditch attempt to damage my character before voting ends,” Rogers said. “I think that, throughout this campaign, students have learned to take what Jarryd Delaney says with a grain of salt. The same should be true now.”
