After a five-month hiatus from regular operations, Emory Student Government Association (SGA) President Tyler Martinez (26C) announced in an email to members that SGA is on a path to return to operations. College Council President Vlad Senenko (27C) shared in an email to The Emory Wheel that College Council, a subsidiary of SGA, will also soon return to normal activities.
The OSC suspended both SGA and its College Council, which governs Emory College of Arts and Sciences students and clubs, on April 14 due to alleged conduct “potentially constituting discriminatory harassment.” The Office of Student Conduct (OSC) uses the Student Group Accountability Framework to investigate and resolve violations of the Undergraduate Code of Conduct committed by student groups. Emory’s Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination based on protected categories.
Martinez said in his Sept. 9 email to SGA members that the OSC investigation “concluded that the charging standard has not been met” and that the organization would face no sanctions in response to the alleged April events.
Emory University Assistant Vice President of University Communications and University Spokesperson Laura Diamond wrote in an email to the Wheel that “the pause remains in effect until the student group accountability process is resolved.”
Senenko noted that the conduct investigation was related to tension on campus and in student government, but did not specify the direct actions that led to College Council and SGA’s suspension.
“Polarization on campus and in the student governance as a whole just led to this high pressure moment for a lot of students,” Senenko said. “There were no safeguards in place for us to be able to navigate such a high-tension situation.”
Senenko said he could not comment on whether the pressure was related to the conflict in the Middle East.
Likewise, Martinez wrote in an email to the Wheel that he would not comment on the details behind the conduct investigation “out of respect for SGA and its members.”
Senenko said that College Council meetings will likely resume next week. Martinez wrote in his email to the Wheel that SGA is working out a timeline for restarting meetings, addressing supplemental funding requests and “reaffirming” their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
All SGA members must complete a training process over the next week “focused on understanding our rights and responsibilities” as student representatives, according to Martinez.
“It goes without saying that now more than ever, the student body needs our leadership and advocacy,” Martinez wrote.
The two-part training includes an online module with information on the University’s Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment Policy and an in-person training on Sept. 15 with Emory’s Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance. After the training, Martinez wrote that SGA will be able to “officially resume regular business activities.” Senenko confirmed that College Council would also be going through the same training before resuming.
Over the summer, four senior Campus Life officials left the University. After the departures, Interim Dean of Student Affairs Heather Mugg took over the investigation for SGA and College Council. Earlier in the semester, SGA, College Council and Student Involvement, Leadership and Transitions held a retreat together to focus on goal-setting and best practices, according to Senenko and Martinez. Both presidents are optimistic that their organizations will be able to come back from the pause stronger than ever, with Martinez calling the organization “a new SGA” in his email.
“The consensus was clear: we are entering a new era of student government—one in which SGA meets the student body where it is, listens with intention, and advocates unequivocally on behalf of all students,” Martinez wrote.
Ellie Fivas (she/her) (26C) is from Cleveland, Tenn., and is majoring in political science and history on the pre-law track. When she is not working for the Wheel, she works in prison education, leads a human rights club and works at the Emory Writing Center. In her free time, you can find her reading trashy romances and The New York Times, basking on the Quadrangle and doing crossword puzzles.
