QMU VP sought presidential no-confidence vote

Recently-released minutes from an extraordinary meeting of Queen Margaret University's Student Parliament show that the disciplinary action which ended with the sacking of union president Blain Murphy were initiated by vice-president and former running-mate Christie McMonagle.

The governing body of Queen Margaret University Students' Union (QMUSU) voted 12-6 to support a no-confidence motion on the grounds that Mr Murphy had not fulfilled his responsibilities as president, at the meeting on 17 February.

Evidence submitted in support of the motion claimed that Mr Murphy, who was a sabbatical officer being paid a salary of £15,779, exhibited a general lack of effort and poor timekeeping skills. Members of the Student Parliament also heard that on one occasion in early February, Mr Murphy took time off work due to illness, but that he attended a party that evening and that "pictures from Facebook show [Mr Murphy] drunk and not ill."

The minutes note that Ms McMonagle "said she assumed, but admitted she had no evidence, that [Mr Murphy] was hungover after the Super Bowl. [Mr Murphy] is known to be a fan of the Super Bowl."

In his defence, Mr Murphy claimed that he had been taking medication and had felt much better that evening.

It has also emerged that Mr Murphy had posted negative comments about the National Union of Students on Facebook, around the time of last November's student protests in London. Despite Mr Murphy's contention that this took place outside business hours, the chair informed him that "any negative comments against NUS, even posted outside working hours, were not appropriate."

Ms McMonagle told the meeting that she had expressed concerns about Mr Murphy's performance toward the end of last year, but that the disciplinary panel did not convene until December. Ms McMonagle has since claimed that she was forced to take on additional work in order to complete Mr Murphy's duties. This suggestion was disputed by Mr Murphy who claimed that she "did not speak to him for five months."

As previously reported in The Journal, QMU has been criticised by students for its handling of the dismissal, particularly regarding a brief email received by all students and staff on 17 February informing them that he had been removed from office.

Since Mr Murphy's dismissal, QMU students have been left largely in the dark about the reasons for his sacking. The former president was repeatedly approached for comment by The Journal, but has declined to speak on the record. Mhairi Steele, chair of the Student Parliament, said she "preferred not to comment", while presidential candidates have refused to discuss Mr Murphy's removal until after the present election.

During the extraordinary meeting, one member of the committee claimed that "most QMU students do not know [Mr Murphy] is the student president."

However, comments left on QMUSU's Facebook page seem to suggest otherwise. One student wrote: "I think they should have let us decide as students, as we are the ones who selected him to be president. He was fun and approachable and everyone knew who he was."

In line with the requirements of the QMUSU Constitution, a by-election is to be held in order to elect a new president to serve out the rest of the semester, until the 2011/12 president takes office on 10 June. The union have also confirmed that only students not currently in full-time education will be eligible to stand for election as caretaker president.

By-election nominations will close on Thursday 24 March.