Student leaders and prospectives hoping to assume those positions should always keep the bottom line in mind: the students who are being represented. But when this end goal is lost and disputes become personal, it requires a step back and some serious re-evaluation on whether what’s being done serves the student body.
On March 3, former The “We” Party presidential candidate Naeem Abdullah and his running mate Roberto Martinez III filed class A violations against Student Government Association President-elect Charles Haston for allegedly causing mental harm under section 3.17 of the Student Code of Conduct, along with other alleged infractions.
While the complaints were later found unmerited, Abdullah’s relentless pursuit of SGA President-elect Charles Haston appears questionable and seems to stem from a desire to kick Haston out of office before he can assume it, rather than out of a genuine desire for justice to be served.
The SGA attorney general and Court of Appeals both found the complaints unmerited, and the students have cast their ballots. Haston and running mate Erica Tat won the largest amount of votes in both the general and run-off elections, beating out The “We” Party presidential slate by more than 20 percent.
If Abdullah cares about the student body and wishes to support it, he can continue his work with student organizations, which he has and continues to work with, or be involved in SGA in another capacity.
It’s time for party rivalries and election disputes to die down so SGA can do what it was created to do: represent, support and empower students. These continued attempts to undermine other candidates and members of SGA only serve to stagnate any student government progress. Change and progress cannot happen if these individuals continue to claw at and fight with each other for a seat.
It’s time to bury the hatchet and move on together as one.
