Picture taken by Marley Bassett
The Council of Student Leaders (CSL) held a meeting earlier this month where they reviewed the charter application for the newly formed advocacy group, Students for Accountability and Action (SAA).
To start off the process, CSL president Miguel Caldwell, asked the group’s representatives, chair Jeremiah Willams and chief of staff Carrie Vaughn, to describe the organization’s purpose.
The questions asked ranged from the organization’s purpose to questions about the organization’s constitution and bylaws
“The initial questions asked by CSL president Miguel Caldwell were simple in essence but when they opened the floor, I felt as if the atmosphere had transitioned from a questioning to a critique,” Vaughn said.
Also present from the organization were co-chair Jessi Lessenberry, community leaders Stephen Magda and Cynthia Bruce, opportunities and innovations leader Sera Crookes, service and solutions leader David Ibragimov and faculty advisor Dr. Jennifer Leigh Disney.
After they answered the questions, Caldwell then opened up the floor for questions from various CSL members.
Vaughn and Williams answered questions from the members for about an hour before the group was asked to leave the room so CSL could deliberate on whether or not to charter the organization.
“We had been questioned for around 50 minutes and because of that our answers were subject to flaw, it’s human nature to make mistakes,” Vaughn said.
Ultimately, the organization’s chartering was postponed due to “incomplete and improper paperwork”
“It’s regrettable but understandable. It seemed to be a paperwork issue so I’m hoping it’s resolved soon,” Williams said.
“I think we left CSL with a lot of things to consider about SAA before committing to chartering it, given the sheer volume of questions we received,” junior history major and community leader Stephen Magda said.
“I think to get a more accurate representation of an organization and their purpose there should be a standard set of questions followed by an open floor style questioning with only about five questions maximum,” she continued
“While they deliberate on that, all we can do is wait and hope for the best,” Magda said.
“Chartered or not, we hope to still be of service to students and anyone else ready to work for a better Winthrop,” Williams said.
