Unexpected vacancies leave ASU shorthanded

Three sudden resignations in the beginning of the spring semester leave the ASU with just a handful of members.

By Gabriel Arizon, Editor-in-Chief

The ASU has begun the second semester of the school year short-handed with only four officers on its board.

Within the first two weeks of the school year, three members of the ASU have resigned: President Elijah Rodriguez, Treasurer Angelica Simityan and Commissioner of Student Life Maricela Garcia. These departures leave the ASU with only four officers and commissioners, which is the bare minimum needed for the Executive Council to vote on items. For Vice President David Nargizyan, the sudden vacancies were a surprise.

“I walked into the office, Dr. [Elizabeth Negrete] said she had to talk to me and I was told that I was promoted to president,” Nargizyan said.

Nargizyan now has the duties and responsibilities of the president, vice president and treasurer. Though he said the workload is not too much, Nargizyan is appreciative of the help he has been getting, especially from Secretary Sebastian Diaz, who was once the ASU vice president.

“Sebastian is the best,” said Nargizyan, “I can’t do this without him.”

The Star reached out to the three former officers to ask the reason for their resignation, but none responded in time for this report.

Although the ASU’s spring semester is off to a rocky start with so few members, it is not the first time the board has found itself in this situation. Last semester, the ASU also had just four members before three students were appointed to fill in some positions. In the spring 2019 semester, eight students were appointed into the ASU, which had only five elected members beforehand.

The ASU is still accepting applications for officers, including two Inter-Club Council representatives, a parliamentarian and a commissioner of social media. To apply, go to the Office of Student Life on the second floor of the Student Union Building. To be eligible, students must have attended Valley a semester prior, have completed a minimum of five units and have a cumulative and current GPA of 2.0. The deadline is Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.