Student Union Tribunal member James Hoogenhous resigned his post and Union vice president of Multicultural Affairs Lauren Rodwell announced she will not fill her spot on next year’s executive board last night, one day before the Union adjourns for the summer.
Hoogenhous, who was under investigation by a Senate committee regarding his actions on Union president Ethan Clay’s proposed ‘Hope Amendment,’ made the announcement late last night in a letter to Union president Ethan Clay, Student Activities Office director Carolyn Norris, Tribunal member Nayan Ranchhod, Senate chairman Joel Fajardo and The Daily Free Press, citing repeated attacks against all three members of the Union Tribunal this year.
In the letter, Hoogenhous said he hopes the Union will continue to be something he is proud of, despite recent controversy. He said all Tribunal members have been subject to personal attacks this year.
‘No Tribune has been immune to inaccurate, unprovoked and undeserved character attacks while fulfilling his/her duties,’ the letter reads. ‘Attacks we do not respond to because of our position.
‘When we make decisions they are rarely popular as they are only needed when the majority should be in the wrong … I can only hope in that in the future, the Union remains something that I am proud to have left my mark on.’
Hoogenhous’ resignation comes just 12 days after Senior Tribune John Underwood resigned in similar fashion. Hoogenhous said he decided not to resign at the same time as Underwood so he could help the one Tribunal member who was not being investigated, Nayan Ranchhod.
‘I discussed it with Nayan and decided I would help him with any writs that came along,’ Hoogenhous said in an interview last night.
Clay said he was extremely surprised by Hoogenhous’ actions after they had helped to clarify the constitution and allow him to pass the Hope amendments.
‘I was very surprised it really wasn’t expected,’ Clay said. ‘Tribunal made such a constitutionally sound ruling last week that set the Union back on a productive course. I hope that both James and John are remembered for the precedence they helped set that all legislative powers are vested in Senate.’
Rodwell said she resigned because of a Student Activities Office regulation disallowing students from serving in the Student Union and any other student office simultaneously. Because of the regulation, Rodwell had to choose between the Union executive board and a possible presidential position on the Boston University Inner Strength Gospel Choir, she said.
Rodwell was ‘forced’ to make the decision before she found out whether or not she had won the presidency, Union president-elect Carl Woog said last night. Rodwell said she chose Inner Strength because she had been involved with them the ‘longest.’
‘I’ve been involved since my freshman year,’ she said. ‘It’s one of my biggest commitments I have here at BU.’
She said she valued her position on the Inner Strength e-board more than her position on the Union e-board, which led to her final decision.
‘Minority issues on campus and my gospel choir are my top priorities,’ she said. ‘Being on the e-board falls behind that not very much but it falls behind it.’
Rodwell said the ‘difficult’ decision was based on the amount of involvement she could still retain in both groups.
‘I was disappointed that I’m not really able to do the executive position, but I’m not really worried that I won’t be able to remain involved,’ she said. ‘I knew that I could still have an impact on minority affairs without being on the executive board.’
Rodwell had been involved on the Inner Strength e-board for two years before she decided to run for president of the group, which she lost after making the decision to stay with the group.
Woog said the slate would begin to ‘actively’ look for candidates next semester.
‘In the fall semester, we will advertise and accept applications for her replacement,’ he said. ‘Until we have a Senate that can confirm her appointment, we will not be able to select a Multicultural Affairs vice president.’
Rodwell said she would assist the slate in filling her position.
‘I’m actually trying to help them with the search,’ she said.
Executive VP-elect Remie Ferriera said her decision would not ‘negatively affect the slate.’ Woog agreed and said the position would be filled by another minority student.
‘We will search for this vice president through all of BU’s multicultural community and in doing so we believe we will find another candidate with the qualities Lauren had and will strengthen the Union for the next full year of office,’ he said.
Rodwell said she was unsure whether she would return to Senate next year, though she will continue to attend Senate meetings.
‘I’m thinking about [running again] but I haven’t quite decided yet,’ she said. ‘If I do run and I’m not elected I still feel like I’ll come to the meetings there are too many things for me not take part in Senate in any way.’
Clay said Hoogenhous’ resignation will not affect his planned Tribunal appointment tonight night. He said he had no second candidate in mind as of last night.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
