To the Editor:
As the Student Assembly Executive Board -- Chris Bertrand '07, Todd Rabkin Golden '06, David Hankins '05, Russell Lane '06, Mats Lemberger '06, Kirsten Murray '07, Sebastian Restrepo '07, Dax Tejera '07 and Santiago Vallinas '07 -- we had hoped the anger and confusion surrounding the dismissal of Brian Martin as Alumni Affairs chair would have died down by now and we could get back to more important issues [Tejera is a member of The Dartmouth Staff]. But there is a lot of misinformation out there, and we want to set the record straight.
First, one fact that has been consistently overlooked about our decision to remove Brian was that the decision was made by over two-thirds of the Executive Board in accordance with our constitution. This action has been unfairly portrayed as Julia Hildreth unilaterally dismissing Brian. In reality, the ten of us sat down -- people from different classes and with different interests outside SA -- and agreed that our trust had been violated and our working relationship with Brian damaged beyond repair. It was not a decision we wanted to make, but we firmly believe it was the right choice.
Brian's removal wasn't a result of the leak of the Blitz terminal project -- believe it or not, we're not delusional enough to think we have amazing secrets to keep from campus. It was everything that happened afterward that forced our decision. Had Brian been forthcoming, the issue would have been resolved. But we did not feel he was being honest about what had happened, and the hostility with which he addressed some members of the committee after the incident made it clear that the strong cooperation and teamwork we have created would be destroyed by his entry into the committee.
We are united in our desire to work hard representing the interests of our peers. We are as tired of the focus on internal SA business as everyone else, because it is not what we are about. We invite everyone to come to our next meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Carson L01 and see the many issues we are devoting our time to. We are confident that the issue is now fully resolved and look forward to continuing with our work on projects that actually affect students' lives.
