Emory University’s Office of Student Conduct (OSC) has placed the Student Government Association (SGA) and its subdivision, College Council, on an indefinite “pause,” citing conduct “potentially constituting discriminatory harassment,” according to an OSC notification.
Director of Community Standards and Education Victor Lopez sent the notification to the official College Council email account on April 14. A former SGA official, who requested anonymity due to concerns of conduct retaliation from the University, shared this email with The Emory Wheel. Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond confirmed the pause in an email to the Wheel.
Between April 7 and April 10, SGA and College Council engaged in the alleged misconduct, according to Lopez’s email. The Wheel was unable to report on SGA’s April 7 meeting after the group moved to a closed session. During their previous meeting, on March 31, several members disputed allegations of bias regarding former SGA members before moving to a closed meeting.
SGA and College Council did not meet publicly on their regular days this week.
In the notification, Lopez wrote that between April 7 and 10, members of SGA and College Council allegedly “publicly levied unsubstantiated allegations rooted in discriminatory assumptions, bias, and stereotypes, adversely impacting students’ reputations, emotional wellbeing, and equitable access to leadership positions.”
“These actions allegedly included making and permitting unfounded claims based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and political views, creating an environment perceived as hostile and exclusionary to impacted students,” Lopez wrote.
The pause on SGA and College Council will remain in place until the OSC completes its investigation into whether the conduct constitutes harassment under University policies. Lopez referenced that SGA and College Council may have violated the Student Group Accountability Framework (SGAF) in addition to the University’s Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment Policy.
The OSC uses the SGAF to investigate and resolve violations of the Undergraduate Code of Conduct committed by student groups. The Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination based on protected categories.
During the pause, both SGA and College Council must “cease all group-related activities,” including meetings, events, official gatherings and elections.
Additionally, all College Council members will be required to complete “robust training” in University policies, which Associate Vice President of Belonging, Engagement and Community and Campus Life Dean of Students Kristina Odejimi will determine.
College Council President Vlad Senenko (27C) confirmed to the Wheel in an email on April 17 that the University suspended College Council’s operations due to an “institutional review,” but did not provide any further comment. Senenko also confirmed the authenticity of the OSC notification.
Oxford Student Government Association (OxSGA), another divisional council of SGA, is still operating and met on April 16.
College Council Executive Vice President Braden Newsome (25Ox) declined to comment in an email to the Wheel.
SGA President Tyler Martinez (26C) and SGA Speaker of the Senate Sohan Bellam (26C) did not respond to the Wheel’s request for comment as of press time.
There has been no official University communication to the Emory community regarding SGA and College Council’s suspension.
This is a developing story.
Correction (April 17 at 5:10 p.m.) - A previous version of this article incorrectly reported SGA met on April 2, when in fact they met on March 31.
Jack Rutherford (he/him) (27C) is a managing editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Louisville, Ky., majoring in economics on the pre-law track. When not working for the Wheel, he can normally be found rowing with Emory Crew, where he serves as president, or at an Atlanta Opera performance. In his free time, Rutherford enjoys listening to music and walking in Lullwater.
