Following the controversy surrounding SUNY SA delegate Thomas Martin's failure to attend a recent mandatory conference in Albany, SA officials and delegates have come to a consensus not to reprimand Martin any further or force him to resign from his delegate position.
Martin said he has no plans to resign.
"In terms of resignation, I'm not going to," Martin said. "Plain and simple, it's my job and I can handle that."
Martin added that he had reasons for missing the meeting, and the situation was addressed at a meeting last Monday between SA officials and the delegates.
Student Association President Anthony Burgio, who also serves as a delegate, said he spoke to all the delegates about their responsibilities and made it clear what is expected of them, especially Martin, in the future.
"I talked to all the delegates, and I told them what the expectations are for the remainder of the year," Burgio said. "I think you'll see a lot of improvement."
Martin also said that the delegates spoke with each other about future goals.
"We talked amongst ourselves about our responsibilities and duties to the students and SA," he said. "No delegate is doing more than anyone else, and we're all on the same page."
Burgio said although he agrees Martin didn't fulfill his duties to the fullest extent, he thinks the conflict was blown out of proportion.
"Based on what they do all year, it was blown up a little more than it should have been," he said. "He's just probably not fulfilling his potential."
Burgio added that further reprimand is not necessary, and any sort of punishment can't be enforced due to lack of reason.
"You can't really reprimand an elected official, you really need a very serious charge against them, and a lot of evidence to back it up," he said.
According to Burgio, Martin was elected last year to the position of SUNY SA delegate by a large margin of student votes, and he thinks the students agree Martin is a good choice to represent the UB community.
"I think significant amount of students have faith in him," Burgio said.
The second of the two SUNY SA conferences will be held in the spring, although the date and location have yet to be announced, according to officials.
Burgio said despite the conflict, the fall conference went well, especially since delegate Robert Batdorf won a seat on the executive committee.
"In the conference we accomplished every thing we set out to," he said.
Martin said he definitely plans on attending the spring conference.
For the spring, however , Burgio said the delegates will strive to make their voice heard on the executive committee.
"From here, we are harnessing our efforts and energy on the spring semester," he said. "The delegates will try to gain trusteeship or seats on the committee."
