notice of complaint - university of houston · notice of complaint university of houston student...
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Notice of Complaint University of Houston Student Government Association Court of Appeals
Primary Contact Person: _________________ Name of Organization: ___________________ Email Address: _________________________ Phone Number: ________________________ Date of Incident: _________________ Please list all relevant parties and contact information for each: Please provide all pertinent details of the complaint. Additional pages may be attached as needed: I affirm that the above details are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. ______________________ ________________________ Name Organization _______________________ ________________________ Signature Date
Submit this form to the Chief Justice at [email protected] upon completion
Shaun Smith [email protected] (407) 617-3287
6 March 2015
Tanzeem Chowdhury - [email protected] - (832) 419-0891Elisha Diaz - [email protected] - (832) 310-8117
Shaun Smith REDvolution
8 March 2015
Please see Attachment A for complaint details.
Attachment)A:)Nature)and)Details)of)Complaint))SGA)Election)Complaint)against)Elisha)Diaz)by)REDvolution)!
Shaun!Smith!
8!March!2015!
!
On!6!March!2015!at!approximately!21:00PM,!Elisha!Diaz!recorded!a!private!
conversation!between!himself!and!Tanzeem!Chowdhury!without!the!consent!of!the!
latter!party.!The!conversation!took!place!in!a!corner!study!room!on!the!3rd!floor!of!
the!Cougar!Village!2!resident!building!where!there!were!no!other!parties!to!the!
conversation!except!for!the!two!mentioned!above.!In!the!sworn!statement!provided!
by!Tanzeem!Chowdhury,!it!is!clearly!established!that!there!was!a!distinct!and!very!
explicitly!stated!that!there!was!a!mutual!expectation!of!privacy!between!the!two!
individuals!and!both!parties!affirm!that!the!conversation!is!“off!the!record”.!This!is!
stated!at!time!31:05!of!the!recorded!video!(Attachment!C).!
!
In!recording!the!audio!of!another!student!on!campus!without!their!consent,!
REDvolution!asserts!that!Elisha!Diaz!violated!the!University!of!Houston!Student!
Code!of!Conduct,!section!3.21:!
!
“3.21)Photographing)or)Videotaping)V!Photographing,!videotaping,!filming,!digitally!recording,!or!by!any!other!means,!secretly!viewing!with!or!without!a!
device,!another!person!without!that!person’s!consent!in!any!location!where!the!
person!has!a!reasonable!expectation!of!privacy,!or!in!a!manner!that!violates!a!
reasonable!expectation!of!privacy.!This!section!does!not!apply!to!lawful!security!
surveillance!filming,!or!recording!that!is!authorized!by!law!enforcement!or!
authorized!University!officials.”!
!
Further,!Elisha!Diaz!signed!a!statement!from!the!Election!Commission!stating!that!
he!had!received!a!copy!of!the!Student!Government!Association!(SGA)!Election!Code!
and!that!he!is!liable!to!its!provisions.!In!the!SGA!Election!Code,!Title!IV,!Article!E,!
Section!2!it!states:!
!
“2.!Candidates!are!expected!to!conduct!themselves!in!an!ethically!appropriate!manner!in!accordance!with!Student!Government!Association!documents!and!the!
Student!Code!of!Conduct.!“!
!
It!is!further!asserted!by!REDvolution!that!since!Elisha!Diaz!violated!the!University!of!
Houston!Student!Code!of!Conduct!by!trespassing!on!the!privacy!of!Tanzeem!
Chowdhury!by!recording!their!private!conversation!he!has!in!turn!committed!a!
violation!of!the!SGA!Election!Code!which!holds!each!candidate!to!the!standard!of!the!
Code!of!Conduct.!
!
The!classification!of!a!violation!in!the!SGA!Election!Code!in!which!a!candidate!
violates!the!Student!Code!of!Conduct!is!Class!A.!The!penalty!for!a!Class!A!violation!in!
the!SGA!Election!Code!is!disqualification!from!the!election!and!automatic!referral!to!the!Dean!of!Students!Office.!!Attached!is!documentation!to!substantiate!the!claim!that!Elisha!Diaz!knowingly!recorded!Tanzeeem!Chowdhury!without!the!latter’s!consent.!It!is!clearly!demonstrated!through!his!language!in!comments!to!the!original!posting!of!this!recording!on!social!media!that!he!is!complicit!in!its!production!and!propagation.!If!the!accused!party!asserts!that!he!had!no!knowledge!that!he!was!recorded!at!the!time!of!the!conversation,!then!it!is!still!clearly!evident!that!he!was!a!complicit!party!in!the!production!of!this!audio.!The!UH!Student!Code!of!Conduct!also!states!in!Section!3.1!and!3.2:!!“3.1)Aiding)and)Abetting)V!Assisting,!hiring,!or!encouraging!another!person!to!engage!in!a!Code!violation.!!!3.2)Complicity)–!A!student!shall!not,!through!act!or!omission,!assist!another!student,!individual,!or!group!in!committing!or!attempting!to!commit!a!violation!of!this!Code!of!Conduct.!A!student!who!has!knowledge!of!another!committing!or!attempting!to!commit!a!violation!of!the!Code!of!Conduct!is!required!to!remove!him!or!herself!from!the!situation!and!failure!to!do!so!when!reasonable!under!the!circumstances!may!be!the!basis!for!a!violation!of!this!policy.!“!!There!is!very!little!doubt!from!the!evidence!provided!that,!even!if!the!recording!took!place!without!Elisha!Diaz’s!knowledge,!he!aided!or!was!at!least!complicit!in!its!creation!and!propagation!online.!!Please!send!any!further!requests!for!evidence!and!inquiries!to!the!complainant!parties,!Shaun!Smith!and!Tanzeem!Chowdhury.!!Attachments:!Attachment!A!V!Nature!and!Details!of!Complaint!Attachment!B!–!Sworn!Statement!by!Tanzeem!Chowdhury!Attachment!C!–!Video!Released!by!Elisha!Diaz!and!His!Supporters!of!Recoded!Conversation!Between!Elisha!Diaz!and!Tanzeem!Chowdhury!Attachment!D!–!Image!of!Attachment!C!Video!on!YouTube!Attachment!E!–!Image!Demonstrating!Complicity!!Attachment!F!–!Election!Code!Agreement!Form!!
Sworn&Statement&–&SGA&Election&Complaint&–&Elisha&Diaz&from&REDvolution&!Tanzeem!Chowdhury!11935!Leaf!Oak!Dr.!Houston,!TX!77065!(832)!419G0891!!!On!March!6,!2015,!I!contacted!Elisha!Diaz!at!21:00!PM!to!have!a!private!conversation!with!him!regarding!the!Student!Government!Association!Elections!and!also!to!see!how!he!was!doing.!We!met!at!the!Convenient!Store!right!outside!of!Cougar!Village!2,!greeted!each!other,!and!then!I!swiped!my!Cougar!Card!to!give!us!both!access!to!Cougar!Village!2.!He!was!checked!in!at!the!front!desk!as!a!guest.!As!the!Senior!RA!of!Cougar!Village!2,!I!have!access!to!the!entire!building!where!only!the!residents!of!a!particular!floor!are!allowed!access!to!their!own!floor,!thus!ensuring!security!and!privacy.!We!walked!to!the!elevators!and!I!swiped!my!Cougar!Card!again!to!give!us!access!to!the!3rd!Floor.!We!walked!to!a!corner!study!room!area!where!there!were!no!other!individuals!present.!With!the!impression!that!we!were!in!a!private!space,!I!began!to!discuss!the!items!regarding!the!Student!Government!Association!runGoff!elections!and!other!casual!topics!with!Elisha!Diaz!alone.!Toward!the!end!of!our!discussion,!I!explicitly!stated!to!Elisha!Diaz!that!“everything!we!talked!about!now!is!off!the!record”.!Elisha!verbally!responded,!“It’s!off!the!record?”!!where!I!restated!“It’s!off!the!record.”.!We!then!finished!our!discussion!and!I!walked!him!downstairs!to!the!main!lobby!so!he!can!start!going!back!to!his!building.!At!approximately!22:45!PM!we!gave!our!farewells!to!each!other!and!I!got!back!on!the!elevator!to!go!back!to!my!room.!!!I!swear!that!the!information!I!have!provided!is!true!and!complete.!!
!!Tanzeem!Chowdhury!
Please&read&before&signing:&
I,#____________________________,#certify#that#I#have#received#a#copy#of#the#Election#Code.#I#understand#that#it#is#my#responsibility#to#read#and#have#knowledge#of#the#rules#of#the#Election#Code.#I#agree#that#if#I#violate#any#of#these#rules#or#if#the#activities#of#my#staff#and/or#volunteers#are#in#violation#of#the#provisions#of#the#Election#Code#to#the#extent#that#I#have#actual#or#contractive#knowledge#of#illicit#activities#and#have#authorized#or#have#acquiesced#in#such#violations,#penalties#may#be#assessed#by#the#Department#of#Justice#within#the#scope#of#its#power#as#provided#in#this#code#or#the#SGA#Constitution.##
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