Concordia Student Union (CSU) President Natalie Pomerleau said that a new vice-president (VP) will not be hired to replace John Michael Toews, former school spirit and student life VP, who resigned on Dec.10.
Pomerleau said she did not want to risk the CSU’s current “good working relationship.” She also said that it was too late in the school year to sign on a new executive. If necessary, extra employees may be hired to fulfill some of Toews’ past tasks.
Toews handed in his three-page resignation letter on Dec. 9. The content of his letter was a parody of former U.S. President Richard Nixon’s resignation speech, addressed to the public before he left office on Aug. 9, 1974. Toews refers to the “long and difficult period of the Mullet-gate,” making obvious reference to Nixon’s Watergate scandal.
Pomerleau said Toews decided to resign partially because of lack of time. “We support the decision if he thinks it was the best option,” she said.
“If someone isn’t prepared to work, then you can’t force them,” said Vi Hoang, CSU VP academic. She said it was Toew’s “personal decision” to resign.
In his letter, Toews gave other reasons for his resignation. He said he no longer has a “strong enough political base in the Council” and that “because of the Mullet-gate matter, [he] might no longer have the support of Congress.” Toews wrote that, though he would have preferred to “carry through to the finish,… the interests of students must always come before any personal considerations.”
Toews wrote “Evolution ended Concordia’s longest conflict,” by “[unlocking] the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the CSU and the university administration.”
However, he also wrote that the a “process of healing” is “desperately needed in the CSU,” and that there are “problems (..) within our own organization.”
In looking to the future, Toews wrote that the CSU should focus on “the great issue of mullet conservation.” He hopes that one day “the two proudest hairstyles of the world will live together in cooperation rather than confrontation.” He added that taking part in inventing the mullet is what he hopes will be his “legacy,” as VP, to the students.
“I found [the letter] confusing. It was not something I would have expected,” said Pomerleau. “It seems like a lot of thought went into something that was intended to be a joke.”
According to Pomerleau, Toews wanted the “Mullet-gate” to be a self-explanation as to why he left. “He thought [the letter] was kinda funny,” she said.
Toews leaves with “with no bitterness toward those who opposed [him],” he wrote. “All of you, in the final analysis, have been concerned with only what was best for yourselves.”
