Judd Nelson arrives with new movie page 5 ~ -~
Volume9
Issue 18
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February 6, 1987
Pressopolltan
Gerhart resigns •
Student body President accused of misusing funds by Lisa Arndt Mark Gerhart, MSC student government president, resigned Feb. 3 as a result of allegations that he charged his course textbooks to a student government account. The resignation came after the Senate told Gerhart he had until noon Feb. 3 to resign. If Gerhart had not resigned, the Senate planned to meet Feb. 4 to consider impeachment proceedings. David Conde, assistant vice president of student affairs, said Gerhart had temporarily stepped down from the presidency Jan. 30 after school officials learned that Gerhart charged seven textbooks and four spiral notebooks - a total value of $113 - to an account belonging to the Associated Students of Metropolitan State
books by saying his intention was to merely borrow the money until he received a check from the school reimbursing him for travel expenses from last semester. "I've been waiting for the school to give me reimbursement from a trip in October," Gerhart said, adding that the paperwork for the check request was lost twice, delaying the check by months. Gerhart said he was waiting for the check, about $290, to buy his books, but he needed them to do homework. "I didn't think it was a good idea to bounce a check on the book store, but I'd already received three assignments. I figured it was high time to buy books," he said. "It's in the constitution that I have to keep a 2.0 or higher grade (point) average.
"Our first concern is fiscal integrity. Anytime you're dealing with money, you're dealing with possible felonies." David Conde Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Mark Gerhart fonner ASMSC President, "I got my own pennission." College (ASMSC). "He appeared to have used the account in a questionable manner," Conde said. "I did thorough research on the matter, and indeed it was inappropriate." Upon learning of the situation, Antonio Esquibel, vice president of Student Affairs, requested that Gerhart return the money and temporarily step down from office until the matter was resolved by constitutional procedure. "He promised to make restitution to the student government account," Conde said, "though he indicated it was not an admission of guilt." Gerhart defended charging the text-
•
"111 pay the debt back as soon as I get my reimbursement check. That was my intention. It isn't that outrageous." Conde said the $113 was deducted from the reimbursement check as soon as the matter was discovered. "Our first concern is fiscal integrity," he said. "Any time you're dealing with money, you're dealing with possible felonies." Gerhart said he told Chris Dahle, former ASMSC president, and Shannon Kolman, ASMSC treasurer, his intentions to charge the books before he did it to avoid the appearence of wrong-doing. "He told me he figured out a way
to get a discount on books," Dahle said, explaining that books charged on departmental invoices get 15 percent discounts. Gerhart denied this. "We don't get a discount," he said. "(The bookstore) took away our discount last year." Kolman said she thought Gerhart's intentions were good. "I set it up on the books," she said. "I just figured Mark knew what he was doing." Gerhart said he did not seek permission from the administration. "I got my own permission," he
said. "But it was, of course, with the understanding that I would pay it back." Ironically, it was Gerhart who filed a formal grievance last November against former senator Stephen Brame for allegedly allocating a salary for himself. Brame, who was also accused of misusing his power on the Club Affairs Committee, was the last student government member to resign when faced with impeachment proceedings. Brame, too, said he intended to repay the money with a school check he was waiting for. D
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