Student Drops, Revises SGA Treasurer Impeachment Petition

Kristina Vakhman, News Editor

Central Connecticut student Ally Clark, who called for the Student Government Association Treasurer Kristina DeVivo’s impeachment, has dropped and replaced her petition with an edited version.

The latest petition comes after DeVivo announced last week that she is in the clear per university policy after posting a private Snapchat video that captioned CCSU students who support Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as supporters of rapists.

“I made a new one because it was confirmed by [the Office of] Student Conduct that [DeVivo] didn’t break any rules, which I think doesn’t make any sense at all, but like I said, those are the rules, so I respect them,” Clark said. She added that Assistant Director of Student Conduct Stephanie Reis confirmed DeVivo hadn’t violated any policy, as DeVivo had not directly named Clark or any other student featured in her Snapchat video.

Clark, who led a demonstration in support of Kavanaugh during an anti-Kavanaugh protest on Oct. 8, called DeVivo’s Snapchat video to attention during the SGA meeting following the protests and demanded the treasurer’s impeachment.

Clark displayed screenshots from the Snapchat video during the meeting, which DeVivo captioned with “THESE ARE THE FACES THAT SUPPORT RAPISTS ON THE CCSU CAMPUS.” Clark, wearing her “Trump/Pence 2020” shirt and holding her “I Believe Kavanaugh #HimToo” poster, is clearly visible, as are the other students who later joined her counter-protest.

Clark’s old petition read that DeVivo was “in direct violation with not only the SGA Constitution but the Student Code of Conduct as well.” Her new petition states that DeVivo “is not treating the students she represents fairly/unbiasedly” and is “defending bullying through the First Amendment.”

“I changed the wording so it didn’t contradict the rules or say anything that wasn’t true,” Clark explained.

Clark had previously said she would drop the petition if DeVivo had not violated any rules of Student Conduct. However, she now says she will continue until she gets the necessary 400 student signatures — as of this article’s publication, Clark has five signatures on the new petition—and even plans on tabling in the Student Center. She would only drop the petition, she said, if the school “forced” her to.

Clark is also considering speaking with President Dr. Zulma Toro about “possible rule changes [and] ways to make this campus more equal for all.”

“I feel like this is an attack on all conservative students on campus and needs to be dealt with accordingly,” Clark said. “It’s not fair that the right-wing students or really any student on this campus who disagrees are immediately shunned, labeled and ridiculed.”

On Clark’s new petition, DeVivo echoed her prior statements, saying that she “[stands] by the previous comments and editorial [she] put out” in The Recorder.

“I do know that I represent a majority of Central students that want to put an end to rape culture. I stand for and with survivors of sexual violence,” DeVivo said.

DeVivo also questioned why Clark was continuing the impeachment petition when she had said that she would drop it if DeVivo was found not to be in violation of any university policy.

“Now that [Clark] doesn’t agree with the outcome, she starts a new petition with different claims. When will it end?” DeVivo asked.