Robinson Iglesias, speaker of the SA Assembly, notified the Student Association via e-mail Wednesday that he will resign from the position. Iglesias said the decision was made Sunday, Jan. 20.
After speaking with a friend from Argentina, Iglesias, a sophomore political science major, decided to conduct "intense research" on the country's political and economic crisis. Iglesias said the endeavor, combined with his personal obligations would "not allow much time for the assembly."
"I called my brother in New York City. ... He told me to be very careful and 'don't spread yourself too thin,'" said Iglesias in an e-mail. "I knew I had to "drop" something. ... Unfortunately, I cannot resign from my job because I need the money and I certainly cannot resign from my classes because they are the source of my wisdom. The next thing in line was the assembly."
SA Vice President Joshua Korman said he will serve in Iglesias' stead until the assembly elects a new speaker, which he expects will take place during the "first or second [assembly] meeting" of the semester.
Korman expressed displeasure over the lack of strong leadership within the assembly this year, citing infrequent meetings and poor attendance. The SA executive board was reluctant to intervene for fear of intruding upon the assembly's independence as a separate branch of the student government.
"The assembly is weak to begin with," said Korman. "I don't see how [Iglesias's resignation] can make it a heck of a lot worse."
The vice president was concerned whether Iglesias' resignation would have an effect on amendment changes to the SA constitution, which were to have been considered this semester. Korman claimed Iglesias never called the Rules Committee together, which is responsible for approving the proposed changes before they can be voted on by the assembly and senate.
If passed, the amendments will move the SA election date from April to May 1, mandate SA presidential and vice presidential candidates run on a single ticket and eliminate certain cabinet positions, such as the director of external affairs.
"I'll be fighting damn hard to make sure this goes through," said Korman.
Oliver did not foresee setbacks.
"I don't anticipate any significant impact on the amendments," said Oliver. "People will have to come to the plate and get the job done."
Oliver said his vice president is in the process of notifying assembly members of Iglesias' resignation, which he described as "unfortunate," but he is confident the assembly will continue to "conduct business as usual."
During last spring's SA executive board elections, Oliver defeated Iglesias by a landslide to become the student government president. Oliver assured his win over Iglesias was "never an issue" while Iglesias was speaker and that the two students had "mutual respect for each other."
Iglesias, however, said there was a "bit of tension" between himself and Korman. The vice president could not recall having problems with Iglesias, with whom he collaborated on the amendments issue.
"Let's just say that if Josh and I were in a marriage, we would file for divorce on the premise of irreconcilable differences," said Iglesias. "I hope Josh can take a joke."
