Despite accusations of being biased, the Student Association president pro-tem claims his actions were inconsistent at the Sunday’s senate meeting.

SA President Pro-tem Thomas Gary ruled Sen. Galvin Kennedy out of order twice, which called for Kennedy’s dismissal from the meeting.

Gary submitted the debate format for the discussion of the impeachment petition. The format was approved by the senate; however, Sen. Terri Murnane said Kennedy and Sen. James Mertes asked Gary to draw up the meeting format.

“No, I wasn’t biased. I was inconsistent and I’ll admit I did give some people passes on both sides of the issues,” Gary said.

Out of order rulings are decided by Gary, or his appointee, in agreement with the SA Constitution.

Kennedy was ruled out of order once for redundancy and a second time when he asked SA President Huda Scheidelman if she had been involved with former NIU Student Regent Nick Valadez.

“I was trying my hardest to be as fair as possible,” Gary said.

“I think Thomas is improving,” Scheidelman said.

She said she advises Gary on how to handle the meetings. “He does not take advice on when to rule someone out of order.”

Gary said some of his inconsistency was because if he threw both Kennedy and Mertes out of the meeting there would not be much of a meeting.

“Should I have been more consistent, five or six people would have been thrown out,” including Kennedy and Mertes, he said.

The senators need to “stop being junior politicians and junior lawyers of America and get to the business of helping students,” Gary said.

The president pro-tem is selected from two-thirds of the senate based on recommendations from the SA Internal Affairs Committee and is not allowed to be a member of the senate or the executive board.

According to SA Operating Rules and Procedures, the president pro-tem is appointed to a one-year term and is eligible for re-appointment.