Belen Yudess ’25
Social Media Manager
On April 23, the Scripps community received an update regarding the resignation of the newly elected 2022-23 SAS President Ana Rodriguez ’23.
The email sent out by SAS began by acknowledging the impressive voter turnout this election. Almost 600 students voted this year, exceeding records since 2017.
Following this information, the email proceeded to share the news regarding Rodriguez’s difficult decision to step down from their new position. This included a letter of resignation from Rodriguez themself. Rodriguez cited her plan to graduate a semester early, amidst other personal considerations, as part of her reason for resigning from this role.
During their time at Scripps, Rodriguez has been a part of many campus organizations and committees. She has participated in SAS as sustainability chair and diversity and inclusivity chair, served as an admissions ambassador, worked for res-life as an RC and CC, and shaped the Scripps community as a co-head of the Scripps International Community.
Although Rodriguez will not hold an official leadership title this upcoming year, they are extremely thankful to the Scripps community for allowing them this opportunity and will continue to support the student body through other means. “I am so grateful to the Scripps community for trusting me in these roles and for allowing me to help improve our community, making it safer, more inclusive and representative of our values and beliefs,” Rodriguez wrote in their resignation letter. “I am thankful for everyone who supported and followed my campaign and voted for me to be your next SAS president, and I am truly sorry I cannot fulfill my role. Know that my resignation does not mean I will no longer continue to fight for our wellbeing and education.”
The SAS email also stated that there will be another election to fill the vacant position. Maya Lynch ’22, the current SAS president, explained that this process follows a bylaw in the SAS constitution that says that any candidate must receive 50% of the vote to be elected into a position. “The SAS President position is an important elected position and as such, we felt strongly that the best, and most legitimate, way to move forward was to allow the student body to elect the new SAS President,” said Lynch.
The email also detailed that no prior SAS experience was needed to run for this position. Although the two candidates in the initial race had both been in SAS before, Lynch believes this rule encourages a larger portion of the student body to consider running for this important role. “Currently, due to the pandemic, I believe fewer students on campus have had the opportunity to be a part of SAS than usual, and as such, at least for now, if the Scripps student body believes a student without previous SAS experience is the best for the President role, I think it’s important we respect that,” said Lynch. “While I believe previous SAS experience is incredibly valuable, it is currently not a requirement to run for SAS President, and as such I encourage any Scripps student who is interested in the position to run!”
Since a typical election cycle takes about three weeks, SAS Executive Vice President, Emily McElroy ’22 has been working to create a streamlined process to name a new SAS president before the end of the semester. On April 24, the updated election guidelines were sent out to the student body. Candidates will still be required to meet with Lynch before applying, declare their position, campaign, and then be voted on by the Scripps community on May 2 and 3, with results being announced on May 3.
Campaigning began April 27, where Medha Gelli ’23 and Megan Chow ’23 were declared the two new candidates for SAS President.
Don’t forget to vote for the 2022-23 SAS President in the upcoming weeks!
Image Source: Power to Decide
