Genaro Meza-Roa, AS VP for business and operations, poses for a portrait in June. Meza-Roa has clashed with other board members recently. Ella Banken// AS Review
By Soleil de Zwart
At the first Associated Students Student Senate meeting on Monday, Jan. 14, senators will discuss concerns about AS board member Genaro Meza-Roa, VP for business and operations, according to the student senate agenda.
In November and December board meetings, Meza-Roa clashed with other board members after using a derogatory term for people with mental disabilities to describe a committee and faced accusations of misogyny. (Meza-Roa denied the allegation.) He also disappeared part of the way through the final meeting of the year.
AS Senator At-Large Nicole Ballard said she plans to bring discussion of Meza-Roa’s conduct to the senate floor after reading about Meza-Roa’s actions in the AS Review and being approached by a handful of Western students with concerns.
“Discussing these things openly is the only way to validate our system,” Ballard said in an email. “I encourage students that have concerns to come to the meeting and voice them during the public comment time.”
Meza-Roa said he was unaware that he is a topic of discussion for the meeting. After learning this information, he is considering going, he said.
Student senators have the power to investigate and bring attention to code of conduct violations by board members, according to the senator job description. It is currently unclear if Meza-Roa has violated the code of conduct.
The senate also has the ability to impeach elected officials of the board, according to Levi Eckman, VP for academic affairs.
The senate’s first meeting is on Monday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in VU 567.