As the elections were under way, the vice president circulated an unauthorized report at the time of the voting. The 2008-09 vice president for university relations, also the challenging candidate, then introduced a motion for a 10-minute recess for people to read it, despite the fact the delivered report was not part of the agenda. In short, a free and fair election did not occur.

Why did I call for a redo of the election? It is not my intent to convince people that I’m right, but to set the record straight.

MSU is a public university. The trustees of MSU constitute the highest governing board of the university and are publicly elected by Michigan voters. COGS, an MSU governance group authorized by the MSU Board of Trustees to collect student tax money, thus has a higher moral obligation to provide leadership that honors a lawfully conscientious election process.

The vice president created a report on a hearsay basis and did not check it for its validity. This report, and those involved in its creation, fashioned a scene far removed from the ideals of the organization and diverted representatives from the real issue at hand — the importance of having free and fair elections. A few members withdrew their candidacy citing dishonest proceedings and some reported being robbed of an equitable election.

These actions were devised to rig the elections. The resulting leadership that emerged as a result does not represent the legacy of the organization’s respectable past, nor does it carry that forward in the future.

As former president of COGS, these actions bring me great displeasure as I witness unethical operations within the MSU graduate student government.

What is more disappointing is that despite multiple requests, the executive board failed to take judicious measures to restore the integrity of COGS.

The executive board told me in a letter that the “timing and manner in which the report was brought out goes against the ideals of the organization.” Later, the council adopted a resolution admitting it violated the spirit of free and uncoerced elections.

Yet, the executive board continued functioning without taking remedial measures. It is one thing to recognize a problem, it is quite another to correct it.

It is not about the COGS presidency. It is about the organization, its credibility and our students being represented by a board formed as a result of an unethical election process.

I’d ask the executive board the following questions: Is it ethical to hold positions as a result of imposed and coerced elections? Is it not a moral obligation to uphold the ethics and integrity of the organization?

As a democratic civil society, an environment that allows people to vote without any sense of misguidance, influence or intimidation is essential. As a student community, we share the responsibility to underline a call for a leadership backed by an ethical and honest election process. Should the conscience permit, the executive board should also consider the same.

Practices or actions that ignore principled functioning and the laws should be absent from COGS. It has a potential to weaken the organization’s ability to maintain its influence and acts as a disservice to our student community and the institution. It challenges our graduate-professional students’ effective representation locally and nationally.

I have pushed and will continue to push for COGS, our graduate student government, to be a true manifestation of ethics and principles and return to the path of integrity of highest standards representing our students.

We should create an environment where we do not disregard the challenges but find solutions that respect the laws of the land. This is what I offered and still offer. At MSU, we remain committed to envision COGS’ rise to a greater honor.

Manish Madan is a State News guest columnist and graduate student in criminal justice, as well as the former president of the Council of Graduate Students, or COGS. Reach him at madan@msu.edu.