The 59th Student Government Association (SGA) confirmed the new Vice President of Finance, Grant Lichtman (26B), and the Assistant Vice President of Finance, Kennedy Nieves (25Ox), at their inaugural meeting on April 2. Following the confirmation vote, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Sophia Rubinstein (26C) requested to reconsider Bill 59SL01, which did not include former Assistant Vice President of Finance Jessica Malvin (24Ox, 26B) as a member of SGA's finance committee.
SGA Executive Vice President Zoe Grotjan (24Ox, 26B) said that Lichtman and Nieves were “more than capable” of making needed changes in the Finance Committee. Though the bill initially passed without motions for Q&A or debate, First Year Council Director Maahi Sethi (27C) later questioned SGA President Tyler Martinez (26C) and Grotjan about their decision to not include Malvin in the finance committee. Sethi said Grotjan was not responsive when she reached out to her beforehand about the decision-making process for selecting the vice president or assistant vice president of finance. Grotjan denied these claims, writing that she decided not to include “external” opinions in the decision-making process.
Martinez wrote in an email to The Emory Wheel that Sethi did not previously mention concerns about his and Grotjan’s selection for vice president and assistant vice president of finance prior to Monday’s meeting. Martinez and Grotjan wrote that they felt “completely blindsided” by Sethi’s remarks.
Grotjan wrote to the Wheel that she and Martinez made their decisions based on applications and direct interviews.
“If these specific concerns were brought up prior to the meeting I would have provided the bias training, interview materials, explained our process, and given insight into Tyler and I’s decisions—all of which would have easily clarified the issues presented in the meeting,” Grotjan wrote.
Martinez clarified that Malvin was “not left off of the Finance Committee” adding that Martinez and Grotjan invited Malvin to apply for an executive cabinet position. He wrote that he and Grotjan selected Lichtman and Nieves for the vice president and assistant vice president roles “after careful consideration.”
Martinez said some students reported “not so great experiences” with the previous Finance Committee. He said he wanted to make sure that club treasurers would have their needs met and have a vice president of finance treasurers could confide in.
“As President of the Belonging and Community Council, I have engaged in numerous difficult conversations with organizational leaders who expressed concerns to our treasurer, Executive Vice President, and me regarding the handling of their financial matters by the VP and AVP of Finance of the 58th SGA,” Martinez wrote. “Many felt their concerns were not addressed with the care and equity they deserved.”
Grotjan said that they made the decision based on the interview process the pair conducted rather than relying on a candidate’s prior experience.
“When we were interviewing we had quite a few people really come up to us and express some concerns,” Grotjan said. “I do believe Jess is more than qualified, but I also believe that Grant is also qualified.”
Grotjan said that the interview process was extensive and that she would be willing to share notes from the interviews. She also added that many student treasurers reported concerns about finance code changes.
“If club treasurers and club presidents are coming up to us saying that they don’t feel comfortable with finance code changes or they don’t feel comfortable coming up to present their case for getting supplemental funding, it’s kind of a big issue,” Grotjan said.
Malvin said she felt “surprised” to hear of these complaints, especially given her platform for the position, which she said would prioritize bringing clubs into the Finance Committee’s decision-making process. She added that she had been training for the position for a year and felt qualified to assume the responsibility of vice president of finance for the 59th SGA.
Outgoing College Council Assistant Vice President of Audits Elijah Robuck (26C), who Martinez and Grotjan nominated to serve as SGA’s chief of staff, also shared concerns that College Council had with Malvin and the 58th SGA’s Vice President of Finance Michael Cao (23Ox, 25C).
“The only reason the College Council was informed of those finance code changes was because we had a meeting with Michael and Jess where initially Michael and Jess refused to share those changes with us, and we had to repeatedly ask them over and over,” Robuck said.
Robuck added that he was concerned about some students’ complaints of Cao and Malvin.
“Some boards from students of color and students of marginalized identities that were a little uncomfortable with getting active with them,” Robuck said.
Outgoing College Council Vice President of Finance Ben Damon (23Ox, 25C) said there was a lack of transparency regarding information pertaining to Malvin and Cao.
“I’ve been asking for many months now to have a folder where you see all the past supplemental budgets that SGA passes,” Damon said. “As the College Council Vice President of Finance, I have voting responsibility on all the budgets that you guys passed.”
Co-Vice President of Oxford-Atlanta Relations Addie Travis (24Ox, 26C), who introduced herself as Grotjan’s friend, shared her concerns over potential bias from Grotjan in the selection process.
“I’ve heard some of the negative things that she said,” Travis said. “I also do have some screenshots I have that are very concerning.”
Travis then left the room and declined to comment further or share the alleged screenshots with the Wheel. Grotjan wrote that she did not know what screenshots or conversations Travis was referring to.
After Travis’ remarks, Third-Year College Council Legislator and SGA Ranking Member Sohan Bellam (26C) requested that SGA move to a closed session, which the legislature voted for.
Martinez expressed dissatisfaction with the events of the 59th SGA’s inauguration and assured community members that this will never happen again under his leadership in an email to the Wheel.
“I am extremely disappointed in the events of Monday night,” Martinez wrote. “What was supposed to be a celebration and welcoming of the 59th SGA was turned into a night of harm, deep emotional hurt, and confusion.”
Grotjan echoed Martinez’s sentiments, writing that she hopes to ensure that future dialogue will be “respectful and productive.”
“I am deeply disheartened at the events of last night and I wish that we were made aware of the issues surrounding our appointments and potential bias earlier,” Grotjan said.
