Goodman: Corr should be removed

Jeff Goodman ‘07 released the results of a report on Sunday and recommended for the impeachment of Student Association Executive Vice President Morgan Corr ‘07.

The report is the result of an investigation into allegations that Corr tranferred $2000 from his executive budget to student organizations without informing the Senate Finance Committee and in an effort to buy an endorsment.

“The tranfers of fund was illegitimate, under the table, and prohibitied by the SA’s financial regulations,” said the report.

Goodman determined that Corr in fact violated bylaw 409 (f), which says that no funds can be transferred from the executive budget without the Finance Committee’s approval.

Goodman also concluded that Corr’s gift of $1500 to the International Affairs Society, given on Feb. 7, was a direct result of the IAS’s decision at their Feb. 1 general body meeting that they would endorse SA candidates.

Citing another bylaw that says that a violation “Bylaws numbered 300 and higher shall be sufficient grounds for disciplinary actions to be taken against the Student Association member in violation,” Goodman says that Corr violated his oath of office and should now be removed.

“Mr. Corr disregarded that oath and worked to serve his own political ambitions. As a result, the Vice President for Judicial and Legislative Affairs recommends that Executive Vice President Corr be impeached and removed from office,” says the report.

Below is a timeline that Goodman offers that he says proves Corr’s donation was politically motivated:

These endorsement hearings were discussed publicly for the first time at the IAS General Membership Meeting (GMM) held on February 1, 2006. Mr. Corr was in attendance at this meeting and approached Chairman Baker immediately following this meeting.

At this time, according to Chairman Baker, Mr. Corr made an unsolicited offer to give the International Affairs Society $1,000. Prior to this offer, Mr. Corr publicly announced that he was running for Student Association President.

At the February 6, 2006 meeting of the IAS Executive Board, the Student Association endorsements were once again discussed. At this meeting much of the logistical information for the endorsements was worked out.

The next day, on February 7, 2006, Mr. Corr sent Chairman Baker an email to once again discuss the transfer of funds. This is the first documentation that Mr. Corr intended to transfer funds to IAS. On February 7, 2006, Mr. Corr and Chairman Baker exchanged several emails discussing the transfer of funds, as well as, the IAS endorsement and the IAS election caucus.

On February 8, 2006, per Mr. Corr’s request, $1,000 of Student Body Funds was transferred to the International Affairs Society. On February 27, 2006, the International Affairs Society announced that they are endorsing Morgan Corr for Student Association President.

Goodman also contradicts Corr’s defense that the money was available as a result of a cheaper-than-expected rate on the Colonial Coach program.

“Mr. Corr’s budget reports indicate that the final transfer to US Coachways occurred almost two months before the transfer to IAS,” write the report. “The timing of this transfer coincides, not with when the funds became available, but rather with when the election season had officially begun.”

Goodman also refutes the defense that Corr did not know before the money transfer that the IAS would be endorsing candidates. He notes Corr’s attendance at the IAS general body meeting a week before the money transfer and the fact that a member of the IAS E-Board, Angela Chang ‘08, is Corr’s running mate.

Here is the full report. Stay tuned for Monday’s edition of the Daily Colonial for the latest information.