Brenchley stated in his letter that he did not feel he was upholding his duty to his fellow Arts and Science students, and that in his final year, he realized that he needed to put the priority on his studies in order to succeed.
He stated that with the “added stress” and “time commitment,” he found his “heart wasn’t really in it.” He also cited his decision to work part-time as another reason for his resignation.
Chad Walcott, former VP external and current councillor, said that Brenchley’s departure was unfortunate because he had a “strong voice” on council.
Farias’ resignation letter listed time commitment issues as one reason for her departure, and said that “personal health issues” factored into her decision.
Walcott suggested that Farias’ poor attendance at council meetings may have been an agent in her decision to resign.
Last Tuesday, Underwood submitted her resignation as well, saying that she wanted to devote more time to her studies and her position as VP academic of the philosophy students association.
It was also announced Monday, in an email by CSU Chair Jean-François Ouellet, that Arts and Science councillor Hajar El Jahidi would be running for the open executive position of VP academic and advocacy. Jahidi is currently the only candidate for the position, which was vacated earlier this year when Lucia Gallardo resigned due to her inability to resolve her student status issues in time.
When asked about the low turnout for the vacant position, Walcott said it was unfortunate that only one person was running.
“I think there probably could have been more advertising done with regards to the election as a whole,” explained Walcott.
In violation of the CSU’s standing regulations, certain candidates started postering before the designated time. Candidates are only allowed to poster after 9 p.m. the day before campaigning but posters of several candidates were seen at both campuses throughout the day Monday. The polling dates will be Nov. 27, 28 and 29.
