Student Association Sen. Richard Fowler (U-At Large) resigned on Friday citing personal reasons.
In a letter to Executive Vice President Brand Kroeger, Fowler said he was tired of his name being dragged through the mud by the press and that he was going to advocate for students in new ways. Fowler was not available for comment by press time.
The Hatchet reported this summer that Fowler and former SA President Lamar Thorpe were accused of first-degree sexual abuse last spring, according to a University Police Department report.
Both Fowler and Thorpe denied the charges, although Thorpe was found guilty of disorderly conduct according to Student Judicial Services documents obtained by The Hatchet.
Fowler was one of several senators who did not submit an eligibility form at the last SA Senate meeting.
According to the SA constitution, a student is disqualified from serving in the Senate if they are on disciplinary probation or suspension.
With the recent resignation Sen. Nina Pedrad (CCAS-U) last week, the total number of vacant Senate seats is now eight.
Kroeger said this will not have an effect on the SA. He said the Senate constantly has vacancies.
“The people serving now are very committed to the SA’s role of advocacy,” said Kroeger, a junior. He said it is better these resignations come at the start of the year.
To fill the vacancies, the SA Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Sen. Kevin Kozlowski (U-At-Large), will be accepting applications. The committee will then nominate one for each seat to be voted on by the entire Senate.
Kozlowski, a junior, said in a letter to senators that he is not working with a concrete deadline to fill the vacancies but will fill the seats by the time the Senate votes on the student organizations allocations bill in early October.
SA Sen. Matt Cohen (SoB-U) is expected to assume Fowler’s duties as chairman of the powerful Senate finance committee. Cohen, who ran unsuccessfully last spring for the post, will have to be confirmed by the full Senate to officially assume leadership.
“I think I can do a better job now,” Cohen said after spending the summer with Fowler preparing for the fall allocations process.
Cohen said everything should be running smoothly when the finance committee meets to hear co-sponsorship requests sometime this week. He said it would be business as usual for the committee.
“The only thing that will be different is who is responding to e-mails,” Cohen said.
The Senate will meet again on Tuesday.
