The controversy surrounding Associated Students of ASU Senator Oubai Shahbandar is not new. The Senator from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has made waves over the last few months and last semester.
Now, with the CLAS College Council considering the impeachment and removal of Shahbandar, the Web Devil has constructed a timeline of recent events.
Spring 2001
Oubai Shahbandar, president of the ASU College Republicans, is instrumental in getting activist and author David Horowitz to visit campus. The event is successful, but also controversial, and many students protest Horowitz's visit.
Shahbandar and Mike Leingang are elected ASASU senators from the CLAS as write-in candidates. No other candidates had been named on the ballot.
Shahbandar is elected the student senate's representative to the Arizona Students' Association, a group that lobbies on behalf of all three state universities. While the ASA holds meetings for representatives from all three universities to attend, Shahbandar does not show up at the meeting. Later, he said he wanted to "send a message" to the ASA.
Summer 2001
Shahbandar begins posting a controversial "Socialist Professor of the Month" feature on the ASU College Republicans web site.
August 15, 2001
Shahbandar makes controversial statements in a message board on the ASU College Republicans web site. "'Women's studies' is a joke," he said. "It's a non-academic department that does nothing but further polarize our community by diluting the importance of traditional family structure... How about those femi-Nazis that teach women's studies? Those honies just need to find a good man and take it easy on all the male-bashing."
August 21, 2001
Shahbandar introduces a bill to the ASASU Senate that urges ASU to stop collecting a $1 fee from each student that automatically goes toward the ASA a lobbying efforts.
August 23, 2001
State Press columnist Seth Scott writes an article highlighting controversial actions and statements Shahbandar has made, including posters Shahbandar displayed around campus encouraging people to join the ASU College Republicans. "Attention Women!!!" the posters read. "Prevent yourself from being raped. Join the ASU College Republicans."
"While Shahbandar says he supports freedom and liberty, he calls those who disagree with him communists and posts their pictures onto Web sites defaming their character," Scott wrote. "He demands tolerance from others but refuses to accept differences of opinion." Scott called for the ASASU Senate or the CLAS College Council to remove Shahbandar from the senate.
August 24, 2001
Shahbandar responds to Scott's article, calling it "morally outrageous." Shahbandar wrote, "Mr. Scott's personal vilification against the conservative causes of personal liberty and social unity is obvious when he goes so far as falsifying reports that I am not doing my job in the ASASU Senate."
August 26, 2001
The executive board of the Arizona College Republicans voted 16-0 to disassociate with the ASU College Republican group headed by Shahbandar. The state party decided to recognize a new group called the Campus Republicans at ASU.
“It’s sad to see that we had to get to this point where we had to dissolve
an entire club because of all the things that Mr. Shahbandar has been doing to people,” Ryan Jenkins, chairman of the Arizona College Republicans, said.
“Ryan Jenkins could declare himself queen of England for all I care,” Shahbandar responded. “The College Republicans are recognized by the Student Organization Resource Center, our club advisor, and by prominent members of the Republican community.”
September 4, 2001
ASASU Sen. Ryan Adney introduces a bill to remove Shahbandar as the senate's ASA representative. “This bill is a way for the Senate to show disapproval of the way Oubai has been handling the ASA relationship. There were serious concerns over his lack of attendance, primarily at an agenda meeting in early August,” Adney said.
September 25, 2001
The president of the CLAS College Council calls an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the College Council to review charges that Shahbandar has "verbally acosted" two ASASU officials.
Shahbandar claims the College Council initiated the impeachment proceedings because he's Muslim and because of a bill he introduced regarding the display of the American Flag.
September 26, 2001
The CLAS College Council executive committee recommends Shahbandar's impeachment with a 3-2 vote. They find that Shahbandar's conduct, aimed at two ASASU officials, constituted “conduct not fitting a representative of the CLASCC or ASASU.”
Shahbandar, who arrived 30 minutes late for the meeting, said in his opening statement that the meeting was an example of a “character assassination” against him.
October 3, 2001
The CLAS College Council will hold a meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union to decide whether or not Shahbandar will remain in office.
