The gay-straight student alliance at Grays Harbor College will not file a formal complaint against a student senator who believes being gay is “bad behavior.”But Jeremy Vaughn, president of the club, is still asking for an apology from Amanda Plumb for comparing his group to a “pedophile club” during a student senate meeting.
Plumb told The Daily World Wednesday she hasn’t spoken to Vaughn. She said she has retained legal counsel and must be “cautious about what I say or don’t say.” Plumb declined to identify her lawyer but said he’s a member of her church and is offering his advice free of charge.
The county Republicans, meantime, are going to give her a “warm welcome” at their meeting tonight.
Despite the club’s decision not to file a formal complaint, freshman senator Elena James, 26, filed one of her own with a special panel of students and student senators.
James was not available for comment.
GHC student body president Shawn Stanley said the complaint letter is being kept private. He said the student review committee will have up to two weeks to conduct a hearing on the validity of the charges.
The committee could then recommend that the full student senate:
* Dismiss the charges.
* Censure her.
* Reduce the stipend she receives for being a student senator.
* Remove her from office.
The full senate would make the final decision.
Plumb said she wants to get on with the hearing.
A 17-year-old Running Start student from Hoquiam High School, Plumb voted against the charter for the new club last month because of her religious beliefs. Even so, the new club’s charter was approved on an 8-4 vote and $200 was allocated to the club.
When Plumb went public with the reasons for her vote, it created a firestorm of complaints on the college’s official message board and prompted the creation of a special committee to review her actions.
Vaughn, the president of the club for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and straight students, said he doesn’t think Plumb should be removed from office but he won’t stop individual members from filing complaints.
“After much conversation on the issue at hand, at our last meeting, the GHC-GLBTS has not, nor will (it) write a letter to the (student review committee),” Vaughn said in an e-mail to The Daily World.
“The members of the club have voted and if any member of the club would like to go as an individual and write a letter that is up to them. The club as an organization will not be seeking action.”
Senators take oath
Stanley, the student body president, said the formal charge against Plumb is whether she violated the college’s constitution, which says a student isn’t allowed to discriminate based on race, gender or sexual orientation, among other things.
Stanley noted that to become a student senator Plumb had to take an oath of office that she would obey the college’s constitution.
“I think things are turning out great,” Stanley said. “I think after the initial shock, the tension on campus is calming down and I’m happy things are going back to normal. We’ll see what happens with the complaint and take this one step at a time.”
Members of the student review committee include Mave Long, a first-year nursing student; Tiana Francy, president of the preprofessional study club; sophomore senator John Bale; freshman senator Lacy Hood and Jon Pratt, president of the school’s honor society, Phi Theta Kappa.
Apology sought
During an April 4 student senate meeting, Plumb said she shouldn’t have been forced to vote for the gay-straight alliance because the club didn’t meet her moral code.
“There are definitely students that are against Christianity, too. But don’t we fund a Christian club,” a student observed.
“My stance on that is that this is a completely different issue than Christianity,” Plumb replied. “Morally, I’m sorry (but) I’m going to say what I believe. And I don’t believe that this is a good behavior or a good lifestyle and I think this is a completely different topic than a Christian club. I mean we wouldn’t allow a pedophile club.”
Vaughn took offense to his club being compared to pedophiles.
“We — and many other students feel — Student Senator Plumb needs to apologize for the comparison she made to the club and ‘pedophiles,’” he said in an e-mail.
100% in support
Meanwhile, the Grays Harbor Republican chairwoman, Cathy Colley, said she has invited Plumb and her father, former Hoquiam city councilman Tom Plumb, to the county Republican meeting tonight where she “will be warmly welcomed.”
Plumb said she planned to attend.
“I’m 100 percent in support of that girl and she needs to know she has support out there,” Colley said Wednesday night.
Vaughn said he just wants the controversy to end.
“I am tired of hearing other people say how I should be shot, put on an island, or what have you,” he said this morning.
from The Daily World
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