ASNIC President Chloe Van Zandt stepped down from office after a disagreement over a board decision. David Whitt, ASNIC special events liaison resigned as well.
Both had one month left in their respective terms.
“I resigned for personal reasons,” Van Zandt said. “Some things came up, and there was a disagreement over policy; I was uncomfortable with the way things progressed and I didn’t feel like ASNIC was the place for me anymore.”
The pair, who was running in the ASNIC spring election as a team, also dropped from the race.
“The reason we were running together is that everything we’ve done this year, up to this point, was for next year,” said Whitt. “When we realized next year wasn’t a possibility, there was no reason for us to be here. Everything we’ve built for is gone.”
Whitt was running for president while Van Zandt ran for vice president.
Whitt was forced to end his campaign when it was decided by an investigatory committee of ASNIC senators that he did not meet all the requirements of a candidate.
According to Whitt, it was this decision that caused him to decide to resign. “Everything I worked toward for next year wasn’t going to happen, and I realized ASNIC wasn’t the place for me,” Whitt said.
“ASNIC had, while we were investigating, moved forward and allowed David to run,” said Josh Brand, senate pro tempore and official spokesman for ASNIC. “Once we really dug into the constitution we found there that it was pretty black and white, that there are no exceptions to candidates running.”
Whitt’s position at ASNIC quickly became a major source of confusion during the investigation.
While working closely with the senators and being a member of influential campus committees such as the presidential search committee and the student union advisory board, Whitt was not actually an elected member of ASNIC, instead having been appointed by Van Zandt during the previous semester.
The election bylaws apply differently to incumbent and freshmen candidates. As a paid and appointed member of the board, questions were raised as to what Whitt’s position would fall under in regards to the bylaws, and the appeals process.
According to Brand, ASNIC is currently working on clarifying the election bylaws to help future ASNIC board members avoid confusion. The changes are expected to be minor, such as slight definition changes and adding clarifying words in the language of the appeal section.
“Representing ASNIC, I apologize for the confusion that may have caused,” Brand said. “Working with him [Whitt] personally, I’ve found he’s a great guy. Honestly, he has fulfilled everything his job requirements set before him, he actually exceeded them. He’s very involved, very helpful, giving additional input when asked, and really just representing ASNIC’s interests.”
Brand also expressed regret on ASNIC’s behalf at Van Zandt’s exit from office as well, saying that Van Zandt was a capable and well-liked leader.
In sharp contrast, Van Zandt said she has no regrets about leaving ASNIC because in doing so she was standing up for what she feels is right.
“I’m disappointed with the way things turned out, but I know I made the right decision,” Van Zandt said.
Corinne Van Ostrand, previously vice president, took over Van Zandt’s term until the winner of the spring election, Julie Salinas, could be sworn in.
