With the presidency soon to be vacant, the remaining AMS executives are focused on maintaining stability.
On Feb. 27, the 156th president of the AMS, Jana Amer, submitted a notice of resignation set to go into effect on March 9. The resignation followed a motion by Faculty Society (FacSoc) presidents to impeach her at a Special Assembly previously scheduled for March 3. The motion for impeachment came after Amer’s presidential corporate credit card was revoked, and her spending was set to zero, due to unauthorized personal charges totalling to $377.32.
READ MORE: Jana Amer resigns as the 156th AMS President
In an interview with The Journal, both Vice-President (Operations) Elena Nurzynski and Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa acknowledged that the controversy and subsequent resignation of the president have left the AMS in a “very fragile state,” according to Nurzynski, but explained they’ve taken specific steps aimed at mitigating fallout.
“We’re having discussions on internal operations with various stakeholders to ensure our team remains supported, sending frequent communication emails, empowering senior managers to make decisions, proxying on behalf of the President during meetings,” Nurzynski said. “[…] It’s imperative that we prioritize the well-being of our organization and wrap up all projects, focus on transition, and end the year as strong as we possibly can.”
On Feb. 25, Nurzynski e-mailed the executives and General Manager to announce that she herself intended to resign effective March 23, citing “personal reasons.” She ultimately reversed this decision after Amer’s resignation, however, realizing it was in the best interest of the AMS to maintain her role for the remainder of the term. A screenshot of the e-mail was obtained by The Journal.
Screenshot of e-mail resignation sent by Nurzynski. PHOTO BY ANONYMOUS SOURCE.
“This is a really significant moment for the AMS, and I believe that continuity within the executive team is important,” she said. “So, I’m really focused on maintaining operational stability, supporting our staff, and ultimately seeing through a smooth transition as the organization works through this process.”
The executives explained they’re both stepping in to share the workload and delegate responsibilities following Amer’s resignation. The pair is hoping to have a new president appointed by the next AMS Assembly, on March 10. The candidate will need approval from two-thirds of the Assembly, or an election could be called.
While the pair acknowledged that the president-elect Dreyden George had been brought up as a possibility at the Assembly on March 2, they didn’t confirm whether he was a frontrunner for the position.
“When it comes to the selection of the new president, the focus is ensuring that the person who steps in is someone who’s familiar with the AMS, but also who the students trust and who have that faith in as the new president,” Perisa said. “Through communication with the faculty societies, we’ll be able to figure out who that is.”
Nurzynski and Perisa explained that, in addition to the transition manuals Amer indicated she had prepared at the most recent Assembly, the pair will also be stepping in to help transition the selected individual into their new position.
The executives ultimately concluded that this situation demonstrates the importance of engagement in student politics, so that students know who they’re electing and can hold elected officials accountable.
Nurzynski also explained that the credit card controversy highlights the risk that comes with electing AMS executives as a de-slated team, and hopes that the Society has discussions to analyze said risks and decide if they want to continue the de-slated format.
The next AMS Assembly will take place on Mar. 10.
Tags
AMS credit card, AMS President Jana Amer, FacSoc, VPops, VPUA
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