Skip Monica. Forget Watergate. And bypass the controversy.
Although many presidential changes are accompanied by corruption, the recent resignation of Fairfield University Student Association President Charlie Knights ’12 is anything but scandalous.
In a Dec. 8 e-mail to the entire student body, Knights announced his formal resignation as FUSA president, effective immediately for personal and academic reasons.
By FUSA Constitution, the title is passed to Vice President Rob Vogel ‘13.
Although a presidential switch midway through the school year is nontraditional and potentially risky, the transition from Knights to Vogel is predicted to be a smooth one because the two have worked so closely together in the past.
By taking a closer look at Knight’s reasons for departure and examining the steps that Vogel is taking to succeed in his new position, the two hope to show the Fairfield community that FUSA is still properly equipped to serve the student body.
Four Long Years
For Fairfield seniors, there has never been student government without Charlie Knights — a realization that Knights was confronted with this weekend as friends and acquaintances alike expressed gratitude for his time as class and FUSA president.
Seemingly, it is odd Knights would leave his post after being elected into the highest student office, but his decision to step down was not made without careful consideration.
He described his decision process as a several week discussion with advisors, school officials and most importantly, careful examination of his own personal responsibilities outside of FUSA.
Because the job of FUSA President is so demanding, Knights felt as though his academic responsibilities were not being met sufficiently and he was not putting in the time necessary to be the FUSA president that the school needs.
However, unlike many Fairfield students, when asked what his plans for after graduation are, Knights has not had the chance to make any and that is what he wants to focus on most next semester.
Knights stated that if he is doing a job that impacts other people, he refuses to give less than 100 percent effort and he knows that he would not be able to put in the time next semester.
Looking forward, Knights stresses that just because he is without the presidential title he will not be absent from FUSA. Because he knows all the ins and outs of the organization, as well as the new constitution, he will act as an informal advisor to FUSA and is open to helping Rob Vogel in his presidential transition.
He mentioned the possibility of coming back as an administrator in years to come, just as former FUSA presidents Karen Donahue and Tom Pelligrino have done, but only after a little break from Fairfield first.
The Future of FUSA
Although Vogel is technically new to the presidency, his detailed work as vice president and close contact with Charlie Knights throughout their time together makes him a legitimate candidate for the position.
Vogel spoke with confidence about his new post, making it clear that he has the drive to serve the student body without hesitation.
Though their leadership styles might differ slightly, Vogel plans to maintain the “transparency of FUSA and try to reach more students” while doing so.
To achieve this, Vogel plans to hold several “town-council-style” meetings in which the entire student body or one grade at a time meets in an open forum setting to discuss parts of University life that they would like to see change.
Vogel believes that by involving both FUSA and non-FUSA members in these discussions, ultimately more student voices will be represented.
Additionally, Vogel hopes to give a voice to student advocacy groups and wants to turn whining about common student issues into constructive, unified resources to help find solutions to student issues.
He stressed that “50 voices or complaints are a lot harder to ignore than just one person” and believes that open forum meetings and unification with other student organizations on campus is key to making this happen.
On an administrative note, Vogel is looking for a new Vice President and is taking applications from within FUSA, but also from anyone else interested in the position.
All potential candidates should stop by the FUSA office or e-mail Rob Vogel at his student e-mail address.
Although change is in the air for FUSA, students are not expected to feel any negative impacts of a new president.
Leave a Reply