BY: LAUREN LUMPKIN
The Undergraduate Senate decided on Wednesday to reinstate Will Mascaro as director of the Center for Advocacy and Student Equity (CASE). Mascaro was previously fired for placing an order for $3,800 worth of products without permission from Student Activities.
Many of the students who led the charge for Mascaro's reinstatement are members of CASE themselves. CASE Deputy Director for Student Affairs and Senator for Campus at Large Haley Lickstein helped start a petition that was signed by more than 300 people.
Mascaro submitted a funding request for $3,800 on Aug. 5 for student rights cards, placards that outline students' fundamental rights. The cards are designed to be posted in dorm rooms and residence hall bathrooms.
American University Student Government (AUSG) Comptroller Christine Machovec confirmed she approved the request, however the request never received final authorization from Student Activities. Additionally, Mascaro did not receive permission from Director of Residence Life Lisa Freeman to place the cards in residence halls in the first place, according to AUSG President Taylor Dumpson.
Now AUSG has thousands of these cards and a $3,800 bill.
Photo by Lauren Lumpkin
Undergraduate senators spent more than two hours deliberating on Wednesday. Several members of the public advocated for Mascaro, claiming that CASE could not function without him as director.
"He's always been a voice for the voiceless," said sophomore Cal DiJulius of Mascaro. CASE Deputy Director of Recruitment and Retention Ben Khoshbin said "[Mascaro] is the fiercest advocate for student rights I know."
Mascaro and Dumpson both delivered statements regarding the events leading up to Mascaro's termination. Director of Student Activities Ayana Wilson and AUSG Comptroller Christine Machovec were also questioned before senators entered a period of debate.
The senate voted in favor nine to one to reinstate Mascaro. Four senators abstained from voting.
Mascaro has been CASE director since spring 2016. He has been involved in AUSG for more than three years, serving as speaker of the Undergraduate Senate, chairman of the Undergraduate Senate Finance Committee and director of the Student Advocacy Center under former AUSG President Devontae Torriente.
