Clemson student body VP avoids removal after 11-hour trial

Most members of the Clemson student Senate voted to remove the school’s student body vice president on Monday – but not by enough to remove him from office.

The effort to strip Jaren Stewart of his post ended when the impeachment came two votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority needed to remove him, the Anderson Independent Mail reports.

The 11-hour impeachment trial stretched into the early hours of Tuesday. Clemson senators voted 42-16, with six abstaining, in favor of removing Stewart. Forty-four votes were needed to successfully remove him.

“I'm glad I wasn't impeached,” Stewart was quoted as saying after the vote by the Clemson student newspaper, the Tiger. “I'm glad I get to continue the initiatives I have started.”

The impeachment motion passed last month after a university incident report was posted online alleging misconduct by Stewart during his time as a resident assistant in a Clemson dormitory. Residents complained Stewart would enter their rooms and take items without permission, including food and cleaning supplies.

Stewart called those allegations exaggerated and claimed the impeachment motion was motivated by his decision to sit through the Pledge of Allegiance at an earlier student government meeting in solidarity with other protests against police brutality.

The Tiger reports senators debated the authenticity and legality of the document used against Stewart, as the report would have otherwise been confidential under federal student privacy rules.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 7:35 AM with the headline "Clemson student body VP avoids removal after 11-hour trial."