Donavan Phoenix, Vice President of the SMSU Student Senate, will be resigning effective Mar. 1. Phoenix sent his
letter of resignation in confidence on Feb. 19 and said he “does not feel that [he] can support the action of the SMSU
Student Association or Executive Board any longer.
“Referring to the decision and mentality that current members have, which is to the things right, instead of doing the
right thing.”
Though the actions of the Student Student and Executive Board played a large role in his decision to resign, it was not
the only factor; a recent work promotion and other personal life advancements also affected the decision.
On Feb. 23, the SMSU Student Association posted his resignation letter to its Facebook page. Phoenix says that he
was confused as to why the letter was posted without his consent and that he was “very disappointed in the Executive
Board for taking away [his] freedom of privacy.”
When he reached out to the Executive Board to understand their reasoning for posting the letter, they said it was
due to his stance and his position on the removal of Allie Gaylord as the SAFAC chair.
Phoenix is scheduled to announce his official resignation to the Student Association on Feb. 26 during the evening
meeting. Once the announcement has been made, he will be leaving the meeting for the night. This will bring up the
question of who will be leading the Senate meetings. Since the acceptance of his letter, a plan has been set in motion to fill
the vacancy. There will be a temporary appointment for 30 days, during which applications for the position will be
collected and a special election will be held if there is more than one application. According to the Feb. 26 Senate agenda,
time will be taken to make this appointment.
All comments made by Phoenix are not a reflection or message of the SMSU Student Association and
Executive Board. They are his personal views and opinions.