Kevin Freeman | Lariat Photographer
By Kalli Damschen
Staff Writer
Katy junior and Internal Vice President Lawren Kinghorn’s apology to the Student Senate has been delayed by a procedural oversight.
After the Student Court’s decision in the McCahill, Hardy v. Kinghorn case which found Kinghorn guilty on one count of violating the Baylor Student Body Constitution and three counts of violating the Student Senate Bylaws. Dr. Elizabeth Palacios, Dean for Student Development, needed to approve the decision. The court failed to contact Palacios in time, however, and Kinghorn was unable to deliver her apology last Thursday.
“I could not constitutionally see the decision as a decision, because if I went along with the decision that was unconstitutional, then I would be acting unconstitutionally, which kind of put me in a very awkward position,” Kinghorn said.
Now that the court has recognized the error, it are working to get their decision approved so it can set a new date for Kinghorn’s apology to the Senate.
“We are working with Dean Palacios to expedite that approval process and ensure that is taken care of,” said Roswell, N.M., junior and Chief Justice Cody Coll, “and then we’ll move forward from there.”
Although the oversight has delayed the process, Coll said the delay will have little impact on the case.
“In practical sense, it means very little except for the change in the timeline,” Coll said. “The court’s opinion was released the Wednesday following spring break, and now we are in the process of getting it approved by Dean Palacios, ensuring we go through the constitutional steps. Nothing will change in the opinion except we’ll issue a new order changing the date for the apology.”
This delay means that the case is ongoing, as the court’s decision needs to be officially approved before the verdict is final. The delay has not derailed the case, however.
“While certain things might seem awry, really we’re still in process,” said Student Body President Dominic Edwards. “We’re still seeking approval from the dean for student development. The defendant has not been officially sanctioned. The plaintiffs have not officially been handed down a decision that’s been approved. So really it’s still in process and will continue to unfold.
Kinghorn said this kind of oversight is unprecedented. The court has issued an apology for the delay.
“On behalf of the court, we apologize for the timeline error and we’re working to rectify the situation and ensure it doesn’t happen in the future,” Coll said. “This is unfortunate that the conclusion of the case is being extended a little bit beyond what we’d hoped, but we’re working to ensure that the right constitutional steps are being taken.”
Kinghorn also emphasized the importance of following the correct constitutional steps in carrying out this case.
“I think that it’s important that if we’re going to abide by the constitution, that we do it fully,” Kinghorn said. “That’s what we’re all sworn to do to the best of our ability, uphold the constitution. I think it’s just important that we follow the books word for word.”
