By Matt Thacker
Just days after the SGA senate voted against removing Sarah Hester from her position as academic vice president, a picture emerged online that caused some senators to believe Hester lied during her hearing.
The photograph, taken at a Sigma Alpha Epsilon formal in Chicago on January 14, was displayed on the fraternity’s Web site. It shows Hester with an apparently lit cigarette in her mouth holding a bottle which Hester said contained champagne. After being confronted about the picture, the SAE removed it and declined to make any comment.
Senator Samir Vermani said many senators are angry because they feel that Hester lied during her hearing.
“Sarah stated she was very sick during the two months she missed senate meetings and that she was so sick at the formal she couldn’t even dance or drink,” Vermani said. “She then stated, ‘You don’t have to drink to have fun.’”
“It is my belief that she exaggerated her sickness in order to not get impeached. I don’t think she did her job, regardless of whether she was sick or not. And if I were her boss, I would fire her in a heartbeat.”
Hester said the picture was posed and that she had not really been drinking at the formal.
“SAE’s photographer thought that the way I was slumped down on the bed, along with my dress, reminded him of a ‘cracked-out model’” said Hester. “So he added the cigarette and bottle of champagne. The picture was a complete setup.”
Hester said the photographer could verify her story, but he did not return several calls from The Cardinal. SAE asked that no members of their fraternity spoke publicly about the situation.
Senator Andy Goss did not accept Hester’s explanation. “After seeing this picture and hearing some things from people after the trial, I feel like Sarah took me and every other senator that voted against removal for a ride,” Goss said.
Vermani also said he believes that holders of the top four SGA offices agree that Hester should be removed but that they don’t want to make their opinions public. Three members of the top four — excluding, of course, Hester herself — have declined to comment publicly, saying they want the senators to decide whether or not Hester should be removed without bias.
Senator Renea Steele said at least two other senators told her they had seen Hester drunk at the formal. Both senators were contacted but declined to comment.
The only senators who were willing to comment had not attended the event. Rumors have circulated about what happened or did not happen at the formal, but the majority of students at U of L, as well as the majority of senators, will never know whether or not Hester told the truth.
“The senators did a good job of hearing the case and making a decision based on the facts that were presented,” said Denise Gifford, vice president for Student Affairs, who presided over the hearing. “If other information becomes available that would change the decision, we could determine what the next step would be.”
Speed School Student Council President Darrell Messer said he seriously considered questioning Hester during the next senate meeting but decided against broaching the subject because he doesn’t want to “bog the senate down with more politically heated maneuvering.”
One proposed solution to situations like Hester’s that may arise in the future is creating a system which defines each officer’s duties and monitors whether those duties are being met.
“I think the clearer you can make the job description [of SGA’s officers], the better,” said Gifford.
While the original photograph was removed and copyright laws prohibit its being printed, an anonymously published Web site currently displays the picture. The Web site may be viewed at http://www.freewebs.com/sarahhesterlies.
