Following the Student Body President Elections, members of ASG and the College Democrats are still addressing a series of incidents that raised alarm throughout Miami’s campus.
The first incident involved the labeling of a member of the Petrella/Pal ticket a “white-washed black person” by a member of the CDs executive board and ASG Senator. The second incident occurred following an interaction between the CDs and BSAA.
In the wake of these incidents, the CDs have seen a large turnover in the executive board with the President, Vice President, Membership Director, Events Coordinator Chair and Treasurer all stepping down.
Still, some still hold positions as ASG Senators, including the individual who labeled a member of the Petrella campaign a “white-washed black person”. No apology has since been issued for the comment.
Although an oversight request has been submitted, an anonymous source confirmed to The Miami Patriot that the individual has not been removed from ASG seven weeks following the comment.
Notably, half of the oversight committee are members of the CDs, including the Speaker Pro Tempore, who stepped down from the investigation due to their personal relations with the individual.
“It’s very concerning that a member of ASG would make those comments about a student member and technically they are their representative on this campus,” the source stated.
Additionally, this individual was permitted to play a role in Cabinet elections for the upcoming year, despite the allegations.
These incidents, and the lack of consequences, are a result of a “toxic work environment” that exists within ASG, according to the source.
“Ultimately, they like to pass blame to others but won’t recognize it within themselves. Senators have a duty to fulfill and what is it saying when this organization is calling out other student organizations for doing this but yet when it happens in ASG they don’t do anything about it,” the source stated.
In special elections, current ASG Senators vote to fill vacant seats, partially explaining the increasing ideological consistency of the governing body. On April 29, general elections took place to fill seats for the upcoming semester, potentially diversifying the ideological alignment of ASG for the next school year.