The Student Government Association vice president has resigned.
After a year in office, former Vice President of the Student Government Association Tyler Sanchez stepped down to focus on his mental health and continuing his education. Despite resigning, Sanchez said he’s proud of what he achieved during his tenure.
“I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t passionate about it,” Sanchez said.
With only two weeks remaining in the semester, Sanchez said the decision to leave didn’t come easily but that sometimes negative feelings outweigh the passion. Despite cutting his tenure short, Sanchez served more than a year in the position due to the delayed election season. He said his resignation was a long time coming, caused by feeling undervalued and handling the stress of SGA dysfunction.
“When you’re passionate about something, it shouldn’t feel like that tedious work you dread having to go do,” Sanchez said. “When you’ve hit that point, it’s OK to take a step back and to prioritize your health and your mental wellbeing.”
Sanchez said that he’s been considering leaving SGA since March, as this semester has been personally overwhelming for him. He said the stress of the pandemic combined with the loss of some family members weighed on him. Juggling personal and professional stress, Sanchez said he’s focusing on taking care of himself and fostering joy in his life as he makes the transition from undergraduate school to law school.
He said that student leaders on campus often get roped in the “hustle culture,” which can be damaging to personal wellbeing, he said.
“It leads to a degradation of self,” Sanchez said.
SGA President Deon Wilson said she was shocked to hear about her running mate’s departure, though she’s sure his decision was thought about heavily and based on what he thought was best.
“When Tyler asked me to be his running mate, I would have never guessed that this would be the outcome to our administration,” Wilson said. “I still have the utmost respect and gratitude for Tyler and wish him continued blessing in his journey.”
Wilson said Sanchez put his all into his work, though SGA is a “thankless job” that puts the betterment of the institution over their personal lives.
“It never stops. It never stops,” Sanchez said. “SGA never sleeps.”
Sanchez also cited feeling unappreciated within SGA, despite the work he was doing. Sanchez said that sometimes bills would get vetoed or pocket vetoed without in-depth explanation, leaving him and other SGA members in the dark. He specifically mentioned legislation about excess SGA funds and their allocations that were vetoed.
“That’s a lot of work that’s not being touched,” Sanchez said. “It actually just jammed up the legislative branch’s ability to work.”
Chief Justice of the SGA Court of Review Sabah Bashi said that to remedy issues with bills being delayed and vetoed, the court wrote a piece stating that the president had two weeks to read bills. Despite the court’s efforts, Bashi said Wilson did not meet the two week deadline.
Bashi said they wanted to ensure that unread bills didn’t become a precedent, as this was not an issue during the fall semester. She said that because each branch of SGA relies on the others, it can be exhausting when there are delays.
Wilson said that she received the legislation when she was dealing with the loss of her father and was focused on working through the grief and funeral arrangements.
“While I tried my best to delegate all of my tasks, I wish I were able to stay on top of this one more, but it just wasn’t possible for me at that time,” Wilson said.
With only a few weeks left before the new president and vice president are announced, Wilson said that there will be minimal to no changes made to the SGA calendar. The SGA constitution and bylaws state that in the event that the vice president steps down, the speaker of the senate fills in as acting vice president. Vice presidential candidate Destiny Sanders stepped into the role on April 19, presiding over the senate and attending weekly cabinet meetings, according to Sanders. Sanders said that she has been working with Sanchez and SGA advisor Dale O’Neil to ensure a smooth transition in the following week.