Perry Kostidakis

Editor-in-Chief

UPDATE: A statement from Dr. Sam Staley, the faculty advisor to the FSU College Republicans:

“This is considered an internal issue, and the accusations are serious and they’re being investigated, but that investigation has not been completed. And to the extent that they involve breaking FSU’s student code of conduct, those proceedings will have to be confidential per policy and legal reasons, and those will be handled by the Dean of Students Office. These are accusations at this point, and based on the procedures, they’re not conclusive. The notice of impeachment was not meant to be public, it was intended only to be an internal document to be able to begin the proceedings of starting an investigation, following the rules of the constitutions of both the Florida Federation of College Republicans as well as the FSU College Republicans. The investigation is ongoing, but if those allegations, or the suspicion of them, rise to the level of a student code of conduct violation, then not only as a faculty member but also ethically, I’m obligated to report those to the right authorities at FSU. As soon as I found out about the investigation, which was the same day the letter was sent out (Jan. 17), I began my own investigation. It doesn’t matter if these things are public or private at that point, it needs to be addressed and the evidence has to be identified.”

Former, current FSU College Republicans allege prior misconduct

As first reported by The Eggplant, a satirical publication run by Florida State students, and independently verified by the FSView, the FSU College Republicans Chapter has been de-federated after leadership was charged with, amongst other allegations, embezzlement and sexual harassment.

The charges leveed against the members are internal, and not criminal. The investigation into the allegations is ongoing, with several parties looking into the matters. Student code of conduct violations will be assessed once an investigation is complete and all allegations are vetted, as well as any further legal action that can be taken.

According to the notice of impeachment, obtained by the FSView, the chapter was re-federated under the guidance of Vice Chairman Landon Schneider and will hold special elections within 90 days to replace the impeached individuals.

The notice was not intended as a public release, but rather an internal memo informing various associated parties about the allegations, which were brought forth by multiple students. The impeachment process began with a majority vote by the FSU College Republican voting executive board leading to the deliverance of a signed and sealed letter to the Federation of Florida College Republicans State Board informing them of the allegations.

"In the course of a formal meeting the FFCR State Board voted with an overwhelming majority to proceed with corrective action in regard to multiple failures and abuses of the FSU College Republican Constitution, and a failure to perform even the most elementary tasks as set forth by the FSU-CR and FFCR constitutions," reads the letter.

The notice goes on to list the charges brought against leadership, which center around treasurer Ben Hoades and chairman James Fletcher Dilmore.

Hoades is accused of failing to "provide a full, itemized financial expenditure accounting request by any active member" and more specifically, embezzling more than $16,000 of student dues, club funds and donations. According to the notice, Hoades was quoted saying "we don't keep most of our money in the bank, I tend to hold onto most of in cash and spend it when we need to."

According to a source within the FFCR, the $16,000 figure is an estimation based on the reports gathered from members within the FSU College Republicans. The actual dollar amount may vary.

Filmore is charged with failure to "fulfill baseline duties of any active chapter chairman to maintain active, federated status within the FFCR Chapter network," along with more serious allegations of sexual harassment.

"Multiple accounts of conduct, language and personal interaction at odds with the FSU-CR and FFCR Constitution's Leadership Code of Conduct - including but not limited to: sexual harassment of executive board members, vulgar language and sexually charged speech during General Body Meetings, verified threats of physical violence against members of both the FSU-CR and FFCR, and the overt solicitation sexual favors of in exchange favorable board positions by James Fletcher Dilmore."

The notice, written by Chairman of the Florida Federation of College Republicans and Vice Chairman of the College Republican National Committee Cade Marsh, makes it a point to highlight the severity of the charges. Marsh says in it that he "took the liberty" of informing the Republican Party of Florida, the College Republican National Committee, the Leon County Republican Executive Committee and the FSU SOAR Board of the allegations, as well as acquiring pro-bono legal assistance in initiating temporary restraining orders, as well as preparing to investigate, and subpoena, the financial records of the suspended leaders.

"Any abuse of power or attempted malfeasance on the part of any member in leadership in the Republican Party is treated with the utmost level of seriousness, and until such a time as an internal investigation and appeals process, including but not limited to, a voluntary trial before the FFCR State Board, renders a not-guilty verdict, neither James Fletcher Dilmore, Ben Hoades, nor any individual claiming to be in leadership in the FSU-CR Club (except those duly appointed by acting interim Chairman Landon Schneider via written notice to the FFCR State Board and disseminated as appropriate) should be considered to be operating with the authority or backing of the Republican Party, the FSU-CR Executive Board, or the general body members of the FSU-CR chapter."

The FSView is waiting for further comment from the Florida Federation of College Republicans.