“I am no longer the best person to be serving as the Vice President.”
So says Ethan Milich, the now-former-Vice President of Brooklyn College’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG), in an email sent to officers within USG on Oct. 23.
“I am very honored to have served as the Vice President,” the email continues, “and I will value the relationships I made with each of you.”
In a follow-up interview with the Vanguard, Milich said that he felt the position should go to “someone more passionate and engaged,” than himself.
“There are others out there much more enthused and excited and could make a bigger impact,” Milich told the Vanguard.
Milich will no longer be serving on USG, but he will retain his position as one of Brooklyn College’s two delegates to the CUNY-wide Undergraduate Student Senate (USS). Earlier this semester, Milich ran a campaign to become the new Chairperson of CUNY’s Undergraduate Student Senate (USS), a race he lost to CCNY’s Timothy Hunter.
“I am still enthusiastic and passionate about CUNY and USS, and I believe I am the best person to serve as delegate,” Milich said.
Milich is the most high-profile departee from USG, but he’s far from the only one. Of the eight people who ran on USG president Alyssa Taylor’s slate in spring 2019, only Taylor herself and Treasurer Stephanie Ortega remain.
Taylor says this state of affairs is just business as usual.
“Student government has always had a terrible turnover,” Taylor said. “Remember, we’re all students – inner city students who work […] It’s really hard to balance all these different hats.”
“If it takes everybody on my slate to resign before finding the right person for the job,” Taylor added, “so be it.”
USG’s constitution allows Taylor to name a replacement for Milich via executive order, but she’s taken time to consult with the USG Senate before making a decision. Because the VP’s duties would include being in charge of the Senate, Taylor is seriously considering their input.
According to Taylor, the “race” for Vice President has been narrowed down to three candidates. Two of them, Jessica Johnson and Dapo Ibrahim, are currently Senators. The final candidate is Hamza Khilji, a former member of the now-defunct CLAS Student Government. Khilji ran a write-in campaign for the presidency last year with current USG Student Advocate Zain Qureshi as his running mate.
Taylor says that she’s made a decision on Milich’s replacement, which will be released to the public by week’s end.