Samantha Chaffin
Editor-in-Chief
Kyle Son has resigned from his position as ASISU President effective Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 and ASISU Vice President Taylor Tingey now holds the position.
Son said he was asked to resign after a meeting with Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Terrell and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Lowell Richards in early November. During the meeting, Son was reportedly informed a random grade check was conducted on everyone and he no longer met the 3.0 minimum GPA requirement to act as ASISU President.
“We do periodic grade checks along the way, and we did have a conversation with Kyle,” said Richards. “That’s confidential, our conversation with him. He submitted his resignation wanting to focus on his academics.”
Son said that after the meeting with Richards and Terrell, he planned to resign at the official end of the semester on Friday, Dec. 19 but was told he needed “push it to a sooner day.”
Son’s letter of resignation was dated Nov. 4, 2014 and set his resignation date effective Dec. 5, 2014 as of 5 p.m.
The letter addressed to Richards read in part, “I will be stepping down in order to better focus on my academics.”
Terrell replied to a request for comment via email.
“Mr. Son’s resignation was for personal reasons, which he shared with me in confidence,” wrote Terrell. “I regret that he chose to resign because he was doing a great job representing the students and I enjoyed working with him.”
Terrell added that she had no other comment.
“I didn’t want to resign in the first place,” said Son. “I was very disappointed with myself for that news I received and I apologize for anyone I’ve let down.”
Son continued, “But I believe, and I’ve told everyone else, I think [Tingey] will be a great president. That’s why I picked him as my vice president, not anticipating this, but in the event that he needed to, I knew he’d be a good leader.”
Son said he had taken a summer class which dropped his GPA below the 3.0 requirement.
Tingey is now looking to fill the vacant ASISU Vice President position and said he is looking for “someone who is familiar with student government.”
The 3.0 GPA requirement for the executive office was referenced on the ASISU website under “Current Legislation,” or “Governing Documents” then “Meeting Minutes,” followed by selecting “Approved Legislation 2012-2013,” and “Bill 400.”
Bill 400, Article Five, section E states “Candidates who wish to campaign for ASISU Executive Office must have and maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.”
Richards noted that the requirement was in the Election Code, an extension of the ASISU bylaws.
The Election Code updated November 2014 under Section One, Eligibility includes the new legislation as quoted from Bill 400.
“As far as moving forward goes,” said Tingey, “I ran with Kyle, I worked with Kyle for a semester, so I plan on essentially continuing where he left off and hopefully still maintaining some of those goals that he established.”
Tingey said he plans to “hit the ground running” next semester and hopes to have an ASISU Vice President selected and ready to be sworn in by the first week of the spring semester.
In the absence of a Vice President, pro tempore Kourtney McConnell, senator for the College of Arts and Letters, will lead ASISU Senate meetings.
