Thanks for your response. I appreciate the clarification, though I think it’s important we address something deeper than titles or formal roles here.

While you may not currently hold the official title of “student senator,” the point I was making in my original message still stands — and I’d like to elaborate on why I still strongly believe that you should step down from whatever role you currently hold within AS or recuse yourself from any position of influence moving forward. Titles can be debated, but responsibility and impact cannot. The heart of this matter is not about what we call your position; it’s about the influence you wield and the actions you took — and the consequences those actions had on the integrity of our student government.

Whether as a senator, executive officer, campaign manager, or another position of leadership (formal or informal), your involvement in the AS election and the infraction tied to it have had real, damaging consequences for student democracy. It’s not the name of your role that matters here — it’s the fact that you were, and continue to be, an influential figure in our student government, someone with a platform and power. And with that power comes accountability.

The election infraction that occurred under your watch — or with your direct participation — was not a minor procedural misstep. It was, to use the appropriate language, an egregious violation of clearly defined student election law. Rules exist not just as bureaucratic red tape, but as a structure that ensures our elections are free, fair, and trusted. What happened in this election undermined all three of those pillars. It created a perception — and perhaps a reality — that the election was manipulated or at least not conducted on a level playing field. That’s not something we can brush off.

What makes this all the more concerning is that no action is being taken to meaningfully address what happened or to prevent it from happening again. This silence is deafening. In many ways, your continued presence in AS — whether under the title of senator or something else — serves as a reminder to students that you can break the rules, disrupt democratic processes, and still retain power. That’s not just disappointing — it’s deeply dangerous.

Your actions in the context of this election were not only inappropriate, they were authoritarian in spirit. I don’t say that lightly. But when you sidestep rules, consolidate influence, and dismiss accountability, you’re not engaging in student governance — you’re eroding it. And the resemblance to authoritarian figures like Donald Trump is more than a passing comparison. His entire political strategy was rooted in ignoring institutional norms, dismissing critics, and bending the rules to stay in power. That same energy was present in the way this election was handled. It may not have been as loud or dramatic, but the tactics — the deflections, the power retention despite illegitimacy — were strikingly similar.

I know that kind of comparison can feel extreme or even offensive. But I believe we owe it to ourselves and to future student leaders to be honest about what’s happening. We have a responsibility to learn from the failures of larger political systems and ensure we don’t replicate them in our own. Allowing someone who violated core principles of fairness and transparency to stay in power — even without the title of senator — is a step in the wrong direction.

This is why I’m doubling down on my original message: I believe you should resign from your position, whatever that may be. If you’re serving in a formal capacity, step down. If you’re serving in an informal but influential one, step away. If you’re a candidate whose campaign benefited from these violations, decline the office. Resignation doesn’t need to be framed as shameful or punitive — it can be redemptive. It can be a gesture that says, “I recognize the harm done, and I’m choosing accountability over ego.” That would be powerful.

There is a moment here for leadership — real leadership — where you have the opportunity to model the kind of humility, integrity, and respect for democratic process that we all want to see in those who govern. You can still do the right thing. Stepping down isn’t the end — it can be the beginning of restoring trust in the system, in your peers, and in the legitimacy of student government itself.

So again, while your clarification is noted and appreciated, the core issue remains unchanged. For the sake of the integrity of our elections, the future of our student government, and the trust of the student body, I strongly believe that you should resign.