The sanctions against Rohini were dropped: what do you think?

We asked UH students about the sudden turnaround

In a press release issued by the Student Government Association on their Facebook page on Friday, President Shane Smith and Vice President Rohini Sethi have declared that due to the potential illegality of the bill passed by the Senate which gave Smith temporary sanctioning powers, the sanctions placed on Sethi have been revoked.

However, in addition to the removal of the sanctions, Sethi has voluntarily chosen to participate in some form of the original sanctions, which include taking a leave of absence until the first day of school on the 22nd, attending the Libra Project diversity workshop, and attending cultural events on campus.

The previous two Senate meetings were mired with controversy as different students, both for and against the sanctions, addressed the Senate directly. I was in attendance at the most recent Senate meeting and they did not progress with the meeting until 9:30PM, after all students who wanted to had addressed the Senate. It was almost midnight by the time the meeting ended, and it came to a close only because so many Senators had simply left that quorum could not be reached.

I asked current and former UH students for their opinions on the sudden turnaround.

Charles Haston, 29, BBA Finance ’12, MBA Candidate

UH Alumni Association Board Member

Student Government Association President, 51st Administration (2014-2015)

“…I think [the Student Government Association] is spinning out of control. Rohini’s ill-advised comments were terribly detrimental to the organization, but pale in comparison to the way Smith and the Senate have handled the fallout. There are two fundamental problems:

1. SGA is not a political organization- it’s a student advocacy group. No one in SGA seems to understand that. The only way you can effectively do that job is to stay out of partisan politics while holding office.

2. No one (from what I can tell) is or has acted in the best interest of anyone except themselves- and most certainly not in the best interest of the student body or UH.

The organization lacks any leadership to establish a cohesive group of servants to the student body. They are painfully disorganized to the point they can barely hold a senate meeting, much less manage the PR necessary to mitigate a national news crisis or student uproar. What Rohini and Smith did [on Friday] was a dollar short and a day late. It’s a travesty. At this point, they’re throwing every idea they have up against the wall to see what sticks. Not only have they betrayed the organization’s obligations to the students, but they have compromised UH’s public standing at the bottom of the 9th in Big12 expansion, and jeopardized SGA’s substantial role and influence on campus.”

Michael Merritt, 20, Chemical Engineering


“I think that the decision to overturn the sanctions only in the face of the ruling made by [the Internal Affairs committee] shows that Smith made the decision not because he truly understands the precedent he almost set or because he acknowledges that was given too much power, but merely to deflect the political and social heat that he was receiving.

It was only after many threats of potential donors withholding many thousands of dollars and public outcry that he made the decision, and he has not really shown that he believes that what he did was wrong. In regards to the VP voluntarily doing the sanctions, I have no doubt that she does so because of the enormous peer pressure shown by the Senate and members of the executive branch to recant her words or do something to show she’s “sorry.” He has kinda convinced her that she needs to undergo some sort of punishment to show that she “hurt the student body” even in an unofficial capacity.

I believe that the reversal of the sanctions were a good thing and I’ll accept it if nothing else happens. But the fact that it happened at all, especially after an official UH press release by President Khator slamming any kind of punishment towards her on any level, is entirely due to Shane Smith.”

Tanzeem Chowdhury, Senior, Civil Engineering

Former Senator, Cullen College of Engineering

Former Undergraduate at Large, two terms

Vice President of the Student Government Association, 52nd Administration (2015-2016)

“We can keep on talking about what was wrong OR actually do something that will make our university better. We need all Coogs to unite and focus on bettering our institution, our community and be a role model for other universities and their students. Lets act tier one. Let’s act like Peach Bowl champs. Let’s act like Cougars!

Shane Smith and Rohini Sethi- I’m glad to see y’all are working to put the focus back on students, solving issues and improving our university and I’m ready for y’all to lead the way! ”

– via Facebook comment on the aforementioned press release

Hayder Ali, 22, History ’16, Pre-Law 

“I cannot disagree strongly enough with Rohini’s original Twitter statement when she said “forget Black Lives Matter, how about All Lives Matter” (paraphrasing). I think that statement is horribly ignorant and completely misses the point of the definitive declaration that Black Lives Matter. That being said, I am not convinced that the decision to impose sanctions on her has been a wise or productive decision. I am not entirely convinced that it was legally wrong or against the rules – after all, you can absolutely be fired from a job for making ignorant statements that reflect badly on your colleagues, and it happens fairly often.

“As a private individual and a student, Rohini is free to say whatever she wants, but as an SGA representative, she is expected to demonstrate sensitivity and maturity on this issue and fairly represent the student body.
Nevertheless, I think that the decision to grant special powers to President Smith in order to officially punish her was counterproductive and politically inexpedient, because it simply emboldened her supporters and divided the university. I think denouncing her on the part of individual members of SGA and issuing a statement to the effect that her opinion does not reflect the body at large would have been enough. SGA simply does not have the political capital, so to speak, to make decisions like this whenever someone says something stupid.

“In effect, sympathy for Rohini’s situation on the part of many people has masked the ignorant nature of her statement because of how she was punished. On the other hand, a denunciation would have focused on the content of her message without introducing the extra controversy of special powers and free speech issues.”

Bobby Warren, 37, Doctorate of Jurisprudence ’05, UH Law Center

Former Senator, UH Law Center (2003-2004)

Former Speaker of the Senate (2004-2005)

“I’m very proud of Shane Smith and Rohini Sethi for coming together to find a way past this crisis and helping the SGA to move forward. SGA still has work to do in order to encourage diversity while continuing to respect freedom of expression, but this is a great first step.”

Brinda Penmetsa, 20, Finance

Former Senator, The Honors College (2015-2016)


“The one thing I will say (and this isn’t unique to the 53rd administration) is that I think the legislative and executive branches should be more familiar with the governing documents they are supposed to abide by. While there might be some training at the senate retreat, it’s better if senators take time to understand the bylaws and constitution earlier on in (say April, as opposed to August with the retreat).

“Doing this will allow for less confusion at senate meetings, which means the meetings can be run more efficiently. Additionally, senators and members of the cabinet can have more confidence in the process rather than having to rely on 2-3 people to correct or inform them on the appropriate procedures.”


All things considered, most seem to be content with the overturning of the sanctions, with generally negative criticism about the current administration. As many said, the focus should (and hopefully will) return to the students and serving their best interests.

The next Student Government Association Senate meeting is on Wednesday, August 31st.

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