After a controversial motion was passed at Monday night’s Student Assembly meeting, allowing a re-vote for next year’s Assembly chair, a group of representatives left the meeting, breaking quorum and causing a disruption in the re-election.

Quorum was restored later in the meeting and incumbent Josh Berk was elected chair, overturning the results from last week’s Assembly meeting on April 27, which saw Ehlad Bar-Shai elected over Berk and another representative.

Bar-Shai was heard making racial comments toward Student Association Vice President for Finance Alice Liou in the SA office on April 26 during an argument. After quorum was broken on April 27, a series of racial slurs were also made and police were called, bringing the campus’ attention to both days’ incidents, although Bar-Shai was not involved on April 27.

During the public comment section of Monday’s Assembly meeting, representatives of the Asian Student Union made a case to remove Bar-Shai from his recently elected position. Matt Landau, president of the SA, read a public statement issued by the executive board denouncing the incidents.

Some believe that the election should never have taken place due to technicalities in Robert’s Rules, the official guide for the rules and procedures of deliberation and debate used by the SA.

Bar-Shai requested to respond to the public comments and the e-board’s statement using the point of personal privilege, a tool of Robert’s Rules. However, immediately after the public comment section, Steve Interrante, an Assembly rep, motioned to reconsider the chair election, which took precedence over Bar-Shai’s request.

“I wanted to make a formal apology,” Bar-Shai said. “I am very remorseful of the comments I made [at the April 27 meeting].”

This motion caused Matthew Allwood, vice assembly chair, to become acting chair since Berk was personally involved in the re-election.

“There was a motion made which supersedes anything and everything else,” Allwood said. “I could not let him make a comment.”

Bar-Shai and others tried fighting the introduction of the motion because they thought it was unconstitutional.

“A motion to overrule the chair supersedes everything,” Bar-Shai said. “It’s not your first step. We tried a point of order first to point out a misstep that was made, and he [Allwood] wouldn’t recognize it. We then tried to overrule the chair, and he didn’t recognize that either.”

The motion was passed.

According to Peter Spaet, vice president for academic affairs, a motion to reconsider cannot be applied to the election of an officer. In addition, the timeline of the SA charter is very specific in that the elections for chairs have to take place no later than the second to last Assembly meeting of the year.

Monday’s meeting was the last scheduled convening of the semester.

After the motion to reconsider the election was passed, a group of Assembly representatives, including Bar-Shai, Adam Shamah and Randal Meyer, left the meeting, breaking quorum so no business could be accomplished at the meeting, including the election revote.

“I think it was a despicable act by Bar-Shai and friends,” Landau said. “It showed he not only made racist comments, but that he does not represent Off Campus College Council, proving that he is not a leader at all.”

The remaining Assembly members made phone calls in attempt to regain quorum in one of two ways: asking Assembly representatives to immediately report to the meeting or resign their position.

Quorum was reestablished and Berk was elected over Bar-Shai, 15-4. Andrew Leavey received one vote and there were two abstentions.

Those in favor of taking the revote and those against it are both accusing each other of breaking into factions.

After the election, Berk was re-established as acting chair for the remainder of the meeting. Interrante then motioned to remove the speaking and voting rights for the remainder of the meeting of those who had left. The motion passed and the meeting continued on without further conflicts.