After questions regarding the impeachment of Sen. Ryan Hurley were asked during Student Government’s public forum, the discussion is back on the front burner in this week’s meeting.

The impeachment, which was an item of discussion that was slashed from the agenda during the week of Nov. 11, has since made a comeback after the discussion centering around Iowa State assistant teaching professor in sociology Rita Mookerjee’s tweets were addressed.  

President Morgan Fritz and Vice President Jacob Schrader released a statement on the Iowa State Student Government’s Twitter page taking a stance on Mookerjee’s tweets. Many members in Student Government did not align with the response. The Senate will clarify their stance in regards to Mookerjee’s tweet. 

Hurley faced impeachment after serving as president of then-named Iowa State College Republicans. Since, the club has changed its name to College Republicans United of Iowa State.

Tweets made by the College Republicans were made after Nov. 7 when President Joe Biden was declared the election winner over former President Donald Trump.  

“Everyone, you must arm up, expect these people to attempt to destroy your life, the elites want revenge on us,” the tweet read.

As a result of the tweets, Hurley was then unanimously voted off the association he represented, the Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA), in November. 

After being voted off, Hurley planned on appealing the IRHA’s decision, which then paused the student Senate’s decision to impeach Hurley from their own organization as they needed proper grounds, which would state Hurley could not properly represent the IRHA as they voted him off their board.

Hurley has not gone through with his appeal, and subject of his impeachment from Student Government is back on the table. 

“This is a ridiculous decision entirely decided by emotions rather than fact,” Hurley said. “We will have to see whether or not Student Government is entirely corrupt.”

It is unclear when Hurley decided to not go through with his appeal, but as a result of last week’s meeting, his impeachment has gained new steam. 

“[From] the conversations that I had with people after that week, there was a renewed interest in his qualifications for office,” Speaker of the Senate Jacob Ludwig said. 

According to Ludwig, the author of the new bill, Sen. Sehba Faheem, has challenged Sen. Hurley’s status as an IRHA senator as he has been unable to attend any of their meetings this semester. 

The March 10 meeting also caught the attention of the Ames Black Lives Matter group as they had a post and story on their Instagram encouraging attendance at Wednesday’s meeting. 

The Senate meeting will also be livestreamed at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the Student Government YouTube channel. 

Prior to the meeting, the Ames City Council and Student Government will hold their semi-annual joint session to address items the council should consider. The meeting will specifically address inclusivity and diversity in Ames and allow for presentations from the council about upcoming projects for the city.

The joint session will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday and can be viewed from the city of Ames’ YouTube channel.