Alleged ‘racist remarks’ by UTA student body president lead to protests, impeachment
Two of the University of Texas at Arlington’s top student government leaders was removed from their positions this week after online comments led to condemnations and protests by student organizations.
The UTA Student Senate unanimously voted to remove Caitlyn Burge-Surles from her student body president position during a nearly two-hour impeachment proceeding Monday.
On Tuesday, the Student Senate unanimously voted to remove Alyssa Spencer from her chief of staff position.
Burge-Surles and Spencer were accused of racist behavior by student body vice president Thomason Clayton during a candidate forum for student government elections in late March, according to The Shorthorn, UTA’s student newspaper.
Clayton and student senators pointed to screenshots of a Discord server that include comments about George Floyd, Asian hate crimes and trans women allegedly made by Burge-Surles and Spencer. These screenshots were widely shared by students on social media.
The Article of Impeachment against Burge-Surles states that she’s unable to fulfill her duties as president and represent the student body because of her alleged “racist remarks” and the “partisan and hostile attitude toward minorities, people of color and people of the opposing political party.”
Campus organizations held a protest on March 28, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs released a statement addressing the “concerning allegations.”
“We encourage students to allow University processes to investigate these allegations in a way that is fair and impartial,” the statement said.
Student senators and multiple student organizations condemned these alleged actions and called for the removal or resignation of Burge-Surles, Spencer and later Clayton after he was accused of harassment and breaking Senate rules of order.
During the impeachment proceedings, Burge-Surles said she isn’t a racist and that she has a right to her opinion.
“Stop to consider that some of the jokes being discussed here might not be intended for you as an audience,” she said.
Senators said Burge-Surles has failed her duties because of her alleged behavior and needed to be removed.
“There’s a certain responsibility that is instilled in our leaders and she failed to meet the requirements of her job,” said Jacqueline Avila, senator for the College of Liberal Arts. “... She can say whatever she wants to and voice her opinions however she wants to. But she is not entitled to a leadership position.”
Spencer was impeached for her alleged comments, as well as her alleged attempts to recruit senators to impeach Clayton without proper procedure.
Spencer said her actions are not grounds for impeachment.
“It would be unwise to assume that by impeaching me you’re representing the voice of every single student at this university,” she said.
As vice president, Clayton becomes president for the duration of the term following Burge-Surles’ removal. Clayton was also a candidate for student body president for the next school year, with elections held on Monday and Tuesday.
Burge-Surles told the Star-Telegram that she and Spencer have worked in student government for years, and have worked with people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.
She said they’ve kept politics out of the work environment and she believes the political server Discord was the right channel to share her comments.
“That is a space for conservatives like me to be able to share their opinions on current events and to be able to share their takes,” she said. “And I fully believe that was an appropriate environment to be able to discuss political opinions.”
Some current and past student leaders celebrated Burge-Surles’ removal.
Architecture sophomore Tony Pham said in a tweet that now is not the time to celebrate, but to consider the next steps in restoring the student government’s credibility.
“[N]o matter which side you’re on, this is a somber day for the student government as a whole,” he said.
