By: Alexis Stallard, Editor-In-Chief
An early-April Student Government Association meeting got rather tense when President Ian Lecki gave senators a tongue lashing over their lack of commitment.
The unusual meeting has since been the topic of campus chatter as students wonder what exactly happened to rile Lecki.
Lecki said that his executive board had noticed a severe decline in many SGA members’ involvement and commitment to their roles. Not wanting to see this trend continue into next year, Lecki said, he decided to have an honest talk with the other senators.
“They receive a scholarship for this, and they’re supposed to be leaders of their respective areas,” Lecki said. “If you’re not going to take your job seriously, then I asked them to seriously consider not submitting an intent to run form for next year.”
Lecki addressed the Senate during the April 4 SGA meeting and asked why so many members had not been putting forth any effort. He made the final decision to confront the members after no one had emailed him saying they had read through the previous week’s meeting minutes. Unbeknownst to members, he’d slipped in a line at the end of the minutes asking them to message him when they’d read them.
All SGA members are required to read and verify the previous week’s minutes prior to the next meeting, Lecki said. He also told the senators that they needed to be putting in more effort in the subcommittees, another role they are required to fulfill but that many had been neglecting.
At-large senate members receive a scholarship of $25 a semester, the public relations chair receives $750 a semester, and the senate leader receives $500 a semester. The vice president receives $1,000, the treasurer and secretary $750 each, and the president $2,000.
Lecki said that while senate members don’t receive much, it does add up when there are several members and it feels like a waste when some members aren’t doing their jobs.
Lecki said that the conversation had an effect on several members of the senate, and he received apologies from some. But those who apologized were not the members his criticisms were intended for.
“They are already the ones doing a phenomenal job,” Lecki said. “And the ones that the message was meant more for, I don’t see them running again next year. They didn’t submit intent-to-run forms.”
He said that his harsh address of the senate was not exactly new and that the executive board, which consists of senior Elizabeth Raehpour, junior Elise Helfrich and senior Samuel Loerke, addressed senators a bit more gently earlier this year. However, Lecki said, his entire executive board felt it was important to address them more honestly because, at the time, intent-to-run forms were being sent out.
Sophomore Cooper Lovelace, an at-large senator, said that he understood why Lecki felt the need to speak out in a straightforward way.
“Not a lot of extra effort gets put in when it is asked by him and his board,” Lovelace said. “It seemed to be an eye-opener to some senators, but some seemed to point fingers.”
PHOTO: Courtesy photo, Unsplash
