Poteet gets a pass

But when the end came, it was a lot easier than that.

Four executive officers of the Associated Students mounted the effort to boot Poteet off of the board last month. While they appeared to be more than ready to vote him off then, Poteet managed to avoid the axe by objecting every time they tried to vote. After more than an hour, the directors gave up, but they promised they’d revisit the case again.

Poteet, they said, had missed seven of the last 15 meetings, failed to keep his mandatory office hours, and blown off meetings with a statewide student organization.

But at the April 4 meeting, the directors made an abrupt about-face.

Citing the fact that the A.S. wasn’t consistent in its enforcement of the absence policy for all directors, the four executives who brought the motion last month dropped it.

In a letter read by A.S. President Jeff Iverson, they made no bones about that fact that they’re “disappointed” that Poteet will serve out his term, which will expire at the end of the school year.

“Charles Poteet in our opinion has done a disservice to the students,” Iverson read. “… [but] we feel that hamstringing the incoming board with possible litigation is not fiscally responsible.”

Poteet sat silent while Iverson read the letter and said not a word until just before the board voted to drop the motion, when he argued with Executive Vice President Steve Cox about making a comment on it.

In all, the discussion lasted only about 10 minutes this time. After it was over, Poteet smiled, sat back in his black leather chair and didn’t say a word for the rest of the meeting.