Four SGA members resign, one calls for President resignation

Four SGA members have announced their resignations from the organization, citing the current administration’s conduct as reason for their departure. Chairman Ronald Delgado, Secretary Emily Miller, Senator Xavier Sullivan and Senator El Goebel have issued separate statements detailing their concerns. Following the resignations, Senator James Renton has called for President Lauren Goodwin’s resignation.

Delgado and Miller formerly served on SGA’s Executive Board as chairman of the student advocacy committee and secretary of public relations respectively. Both students announced their decisions to leave SGA in separate emails addressed to President Lauren Goodwin and shared with the entire general body.

According to Delgado, he has not felt professionally or personally supported by SGA leadership since October of last year. Delgado referenced multiple experiences that have induced his resignation, but he said the most recent one was last Wednesday’s Executive Board meeting. At the meeting, Delgado alleged that President Goodwin allowed multiple comments to be shared by unnamed members about Delgado, Emily Miller and Chairwoman Hannah Miller in their absence.

Delgado said these comments alleged that the three board members engaged in collusion with emails sent to Goodwin about a discussion on endorsements that had been tabled. 

“Let me make one thing clear: I believe that this assertion is both disrespectful and scornful to all members not present,” Delgado said in the email addressed to Goodwin. “Additionally, it undermines your own message of ‘moving on’ after the events of your attempted impeachment.” 

On Feb. 8, President Goodwin faced an impeachment proposal, which Delgado voted “yes” to impeach. Following the proposal’s failure, Delgado said he has moved on from the incident by assisting other senators with resolutions, helping to organize student resource initiatives and a town hall and participating in cross-committee assignments. In these efforts, Delgado said he has kept Goodwin up to date with all of these projects as well as offered an opportunity to sit down privately with her, which she allegedly refused.

According to Delgado, Goodwin’s allowance of these comments directed at Delgado and the Millers, who were not present at the meeting, contradicted her previous message of transparency and accountability.

“[Goodwin’s] allowance and possible participation in these conversations are vengeful, bitter, and not indicative of wanting to promote a ‘United Front,’” Delago said in the email. 

Coupled with multiple challenges in his personal life, Delgado said the current stress placed on him by SGA has led him to step away from the organization for his mental health. 

Emily Miller, former secretary of public relations, also released an email about her decision to leave the organization. Miller said she no longer feels supported by members within the organization and it is in her personal interest to step away from her current position.

In her email, Miller alleged that Goodwin has spoken with other board members about how Miller agrees with and follows everything that Delgado tells her to do. Miller called these accusations “hurtful, sexist, belittling, and above all incorrect.”

Miller said she has always made her own decisions within SGA, and if there are concerns about her behavior, it should have been addressed directly. 

Miller said she has logged out of all SGA social media accounts and is available to train the next person who will assume the role. 

Senator Xavier Sullivan announced via Twitter that they have also resigned from SGA. According to Sullivan’s post, SGA has “ruined” their mental health and the current administration has been insincere in their promises to the student body. Sullivan said they have lost their passion for social work and faith in other people due to SGA. 

Senator El Goebel has also resigned from SGA, citing mental health and lack of transparency within the current administration in a Twitter post.

Senator James Renton called for Goodwin’s resignation as president in an email shared with the entire general body of SGA. Renton said he regarded many executive board members as mentors when he first joined SGA last semester, but that sentiment has changed following the resignations of Delgado and Miller. Renton said the allegations of Goodwin allowing targeted comments to be shared about specific members has demonstrated an abuse of power and lack of transparency. 

Monday’s meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. and can be attended virtually by the public. More updates will follow.