Conflict surrounding the activities for senior week is the factor responsible for the possible resignation of the senior class president and vice president. Just three weeks shy of completing their term, Katie Hernson and Ryan Mulloy, both senior English and communication majors, mentioned the possibility of leaving the student government association (SGA) after they were relieved of their duties to plan the senior week events by their adviser, Jason Bozzone, the director of student activities.
“My working relationship with Mr. Bozzone has been very destructive to my work, reputation, self-esteem and self-worth. It is because of this relationship and my observations of Mr. Bozzone that I feel he is doing a sub-par job as adviser,” Mulloy stated in a letter, justifying his recent decision to resign.
On Wednesday, April 14, Hernson and Mulloy received an e-mail indicating that they would no longer be involved with scheduling the events of senior week. In the e-mail, Bozzone explains his reasoning behind his decision. “I cannot trust your commitment and leadership in planning senior week activities nor organize senior class meetings. You have not proved that you are capable of completing tasks on time,” Bozzone said.
Hernson and Mulloy disagree with this statement and attribute part of the disagreement to miscommunication. They report to have experienced situations where Bozzone provided them with inconsistent deadline dates, creating confusion amongst themselves as to what had already been accomplished and what still needed to be taken care of. After Bozzone’s notification, Hernson and Mulloy announced to both Bozzone and SGA of their intentions to resign from the organization. “I put in a lot of time and effort, as did Ryan, to organize these events. To have them pulled from our control after they were completed is a slap in the face to both Ryan and me,” Hernson said.
The news of the potential resignation concerned the other SGA members. In a meeting on Sunday, April 18, the members voted to support the reassignment of the senior week festivities to Hernson and Mulloy as well as setting expectations and limitations for Bozzone and possibly acquiring a new adviser for the 2004-2005 school year. Although only 15 members were present at the meeting, 12 of them were in favor of seeking a new adviser. As for the restoration of Hernson and Mulloy’s responsibilities for senior week, members voted unanimously in favor of letting them continue to finish what they have already started.
The decision to elect a new adviser came about as SGA members discussed what had prevented them from accomplishing many of the tasks they set out to do this year. Many members believe that the administration has too much power over the organization, therefore compromising their attempts to better the student body. “We weren’t able to succeed because we weren’t able to lead,” Jesse Gluckman, a senior education major and president of SGA, said.
The meeting at which SGA will present their concerns to the administration is scheduled to take place later this week. Until then, Bozzone remains quiet about the issue. “I have no comment until I have had the opportunity to meet with Ryan Mulloy and Katie Hernson regarding their concerns,” Bozzone said.
Posted to the Web by Shawn Rice