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| Chris Langer |
On August 10, Phil Amsler, who started his term as Student Government (SG) president on July 1, withdrew from his presidency.
Amsler’s running mate and SG Vice President, Greg Pollock, received the news via text message. At the time, Pollock had just arrived home from a trip to Africa and was about to exit the terminal. As the second-in-command, Pollock was now shouldered with the responsibility of leading SG. “It was such a shock initially, but SG was so supportive and cooperative,” Pollock said.
A week later, Pollock officially stepped up to the position and informed the members of the Senate about the change in Cabinet. Soon after, rumors regarding the reason behind Amsler’s resignation began to emerge.
Pollock was reluctant to comment on Amsler’s situation. “There was a comment on Facebook that started rumors. The full scope of the story no one will really understand ... He was disappointed about the resignation but, if anyone wants to know what happened, Phil will [have to] be the one to share that information,” Pollock said.
In a brief phone interview, Amsler stated, “I don’t want to get into the details because names would come out … Ultimately, I resigned as Student Government President for personal reasons.”
SG is staying separate from the situation and continues to function as always, keeping a strict agenda and focusing on the tasks at hand. The SG agenda has not been altered due to the resignation and the focus remains on the coming quarter. “I am looking forward to everything that we have been working on. We are set up for an awesome year,” said Pollock
Despite everything, Pollock has remained positive and optimistic about the future of SG: “Phil and I had some great ideas, and he left with the confidence that I will continue to pursue those same ideas.” Those ideas include an SG game of the month, free barbecues on campus, free items for students, working closely with the College Activities Board, improving transportation around campus, bringing Zipcar vehicles to campus, and working to meet the needs of students. Pollock would also like to set up a website where students can routinely check up on SG officers and the ideas that they have in progress to see if goals are being met.
The search for a new Student Government Vice President is currently underway.
