The University of Central Florida's student Senate voted to impeach one of its own late Thursday night -- the student who sparked a firestorm of controvery after taking off from a Catholic Mass on campus with a sacred Communion wafer in his pocket.
All but two of the 35 senators present voted to impeach Webster Cook, but the action did not result in his automatic removal from office.
Instead, the vote sets in motion an investigation that could lead to Cook's eventual removal from his Senate post if he is found to have violated Senate ethics rules.
The Senate will decide whether any sanction is required after the investigation.
Cook's impeachment and the planned investigation were prompted by an affidavit filed by a student government official. The document includes statements by people associated with the Catholic Campus Ministry who confronted Cook at their June 29 service in the Student Union.
Ministry officials contend Cook accepted but did not immediately consume a sacred communion wafer. The officials contend that Cook desecrated a sacred object by stuffing it in his pocket and refusing their demands that he give it back. Cook reportedly claimed he swallowed the wafer during the service. He later returned the wafer to church officials after claiming he was threatened with violence. Cook could not be reached to confirm the threats.
But the impeachement is not based on Cook's taking the wafer. It's based on allegations that he represented himself as a student government official at the service.
Although the Senate could kick Cook off the student government's legislative body, it does not have the authority to suspend or expel Cook from the university. That could happen only if he's found to have violated serious conduct code violations in student court. UCF is barred by federal law from confirming whether any complaints have been filed against Cook. But the statements included in the affidavit refer to a formal complaint against Cook by the campus ministry for disrupting the service.
The Senate investigation will include a special hearing to be scheduled within four weeks but no earlier than two weeks from now, student government officials said. The hearing could include testimony from Cook and ministry officials.
Cook was not at Thursday night's meeting. Senators announced that Cook was on a planned family trip.
Thursday's vote came after less than 15 minutes of deliberation. Senate leaders cut short any discussion of whether Cook was right or wrong in taking the wafer, saying they should focus on whether Cook broke Senate rules.
Here's some background from a previous article:
How the controversy started
Cook refused to return a wafer he accepted but did not swallow during a June 29 service at UCF. The wafer, once consecrated, is considered sacred and must be immediately consumed, according to church teachings. Cook, who reportedly was raised Roman Catholic, has said he did not realize he was required to swallow the wafer right away and merely wanted to show it to a friend.
What happened next?
Cook filed a complaint against the Catholic Campus Ministry, which, according to reports, filed its own complaint against Cook. The incident began to get more attention when the Catholic League, an anti-defamation group with close ties to the Catholic Church, denounced Cook's actions on its Web site.
Status of the case
UCF announced Wednesday that it had dismissed the complaint Cook filed against the Catholic Campus Ministry, which sponsors a weekly service in the Student Union. Cook had alleged personal abuse, hazing and alcohol-policy violations, claiming he was grabbed and that the sacramental wine offered during the service should not have been allowed. School officials didn't find enough evidence to pursue his complaint.
