Editor’s note: During the SGA meeting on April 17, 2018, which took place after the Judicial Council suspended the tickets for senator candidate Anna McAvoy and the MEA ticket, McAvoy cried and apologized for using the Pepe the Frog meme in her campaign.”I had no malicious intentions behind it,” McAvoy said.”I apologize profusely.”

Following a day of controversy, the Student Government Association Judicial Council has voted to not disqualify the campaign of Stephen Mayer, Garrett Edmonds and Harper Anderson.

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Judicial Council has voted to suspend and not disqualify the Mayers-Edmonds-Anderson campaign ticket.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986415175707316224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986415175707316224″ type=”twitter”}}

The trio, running for president, executive vice president and administrative vice president, respectively, were disqualified from the race following an emergency Judicial Council ruling on April 16 that they had violated section 3.4.10.1 of the election codes. 

Their ticket is now suspended, meaning they’re still eligible to win the election but cannot actively campaign. Voting ends tonight. 

It was brought to the council’s attention the MEA ticket, and Anna McAvoy, a sophomore running for junior senator and senator-at-large, was using a Pepe the Frog meme, “a well-known symbol for white supremacy, in their campaigning and chalking materials,” according to the the minutes of yesterday night’s emergency meeting. 

The council also voted McAvoy was now suspended and not disqualified. 

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Judicial Council has voted to suspend and not disqualify Anna McAvoy, who was running for SGA Senator, under the same grounds as the ruling on the Mayers-Edmonds-Anderson ticket.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986416514524991489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986416514524991489″ type=”twitter”}}

Chief Justice Annalicia Carlson, in an email to the MEA ticket following the April 16 ruling, said the council determined Edmonds was notified Pepe the Frog “had been co-opted as a hate symbol” after the image had been made, but elected not to remove it.

“The Student Government Association will not stand for the use of such hate symbols, and the Council believes that your decision not to remove the imagery when Mr. Edmonds was made aware (before it rained) or issue a formal statement regarding the issue signals a disregard for both the election codes and the anti-discrimination clause of the SGA Constitution,” Carlson said in the email. 

The Anti-Defamation League classified Pepe the Frog as a hate symbol in 2016. According to ADL, the meme did not originally have racist or anti-Semitic connotations. However, internet users created a subset of Pepe the Frog memes that “centered on racist, anti-Semitic or other bigoted themes.” 

Today’s regularly scheduled SGA meeting featured nearly 30 student speakers with the student section exceeding capacity. 

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The guest and student section is already exceeding capacity – 4:47 pm. The Student Government Association weekly Senate meeting starts at 5 pm.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986360740482375680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986360740482375680″ type=”twitter”}}

Many students came out to express their disagreement with the council’s original ruling. 

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">6th speaker Cameron Edwards said students are not happy with the decision made by Judicial Council & 7th speaker Wood Brown asked for transparency in SGA.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986368785845284864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986368785845284864″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I can say that these people have been treated biasedly," WKU student Wood Brown said, regarding the candidates who were disqualified by Judicial Council's earlier decision. Brown's speech received a standing ovation by both senators & guests of the SGA meeting.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986369399354470402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986369399354470402″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"SGA is responsible for silencing hundreds of voices by this decision." -the 14th student speaker, Hudson Curry</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986375872973361155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986375872973361155″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"This is Garrett's passion. This is what he loves." -the 15th student speaker Brayden Burkes about his roommate, the former exec. vice president Garrett Edmonds, who was disqualified in the SGA election</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986377108757864448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986377108757864448″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I've gathered that this is a toxic environment." -Savanna Hinchcliffe, regarding SGA. Hinchcliffe said she now no longer wants to run for SGA. She was the 20th speaker in front of the Senate.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986381078255620098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986381078255620098″ type=”twitter”}}

Edmonds also apologized during the meeting. 

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Garrett Edmonds is the 22nd student speaker. "I'm sorry for the ones I have offended, but I'm also sorry for the voices that have been silenced because of my actions."</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986382068727910401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986382068727910401″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I can speak for the chalk team that was with me: We didn't know." – Garrett Edmonds, who was disqualified from running in the SGA election. His speech received a standing ovation.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986382865880449024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986382865880449024″ type=”twitter”}}

Additionally, Carlson gave the Judicial Council’s report on the ruling. 

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Chief Justice of the Judicial Council said that the Judicial Council found Garrett Edmonds had knowledge of the negative connotation of the Pepe the Frog meme, which was drawn with chalk on campus, and chose not to take it down.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986389884540776448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986389884540776448″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Although the other candidates on the ticket with Edmonds did not know about the negative connotation of the meme, the entire ticket was found in violation of a specific election code and of the anti-discriminatory clause of the SGA Constitution.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986390278645960705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986390278645960705″ type=”twitter”}}

{{tncms-inline account=”Nicole Ziege” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">To clarify, Edmonds learned about the negative connotation of the meme after it had already been drawn and said to "blow it off." He chose not to take down the meme following learning about its negative connotation, according to the Judicial Council official statement.</p>— Nicole Ziege (@NicoleZiege) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986391021633392640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/NicoleZiege/status/986391021633392640″ type=”twitter”}}

Furthermore, Kenan Mujkanovic, who is also running for president, was suspended for violation of election codes as a result of the April 16 ruling. The council did not reverse this decision. 

Mujkanovic’s campaign was suspended for violating section 3.8 of the election codes. Section 3.8 states the distribution of perishable food items within 48 hours of any election is prohibited. That 48 hour window began on April 14. 

The now dual suspensions means the campaign of Connor Hounshell, Savannah Molyneaux and Kara Lowry was the only active campaign for president, executive vice president and administrative vice president for most of the second day of voting. 

The suspensions mean the MEA ticket and Mujkanovic cannot actively campaign, but are eligible to win their positions. 

Voting for SGA ends tonight, and you can vote here at the bottom of the page.

This is a developing story.