By Vince Gasparini | February 24, 2025
A resolution calling for Student Association Senate Chair Ethan Madappatt to be held accountable for failing to train multiple Senators last semester failed to pass at Wednesday’s Senate meeting.
Senator Trevor Pettit (far left) chaired the Senate while Chair Ethan Madappatt (second to left) answered questions from Senators regarding the resolution.
Photo Credit: Vince Gasparini / The ASP
The resolution was put forward after the Committee on Rules and Administration launched an investigation at the end of last semester regarding a complaint they received on the issue; their investigation found that Madappatt had neglected his duties as Chair. If passed, it would only have served as a symbolic recognition of Madappatt’s violation.
“We have come to a conclusion that it was a negligence on the Chair’s part in not giving Senate training to all Senators,” Senator Ayomide Ewumi, who serves as the chair of the Committee, said while introducing the resolution.
Ewumi stated that Madappatt’s failure to train multiple Senators at the beginning of last semester left them feeling “confused” during their first several weeks in office.
While discussing the bill, Madappatt was asked by Senator Jac Cooper if anybody had reached out to him over not receiving training, to which Madappatt said he had not been reached out to; however, Ewumi said her committee had received evidence that Madappatt had been reached out to by Senators regarding the issue, but that she was unable to present the evidence as it was under a motion to seal.
Madappatt acknowledged that there were Senators who did not attend the training he held last semester, and he said he reached out to them afterwards but was unable to reschedule a training session as he was overwhelmed with work at the time.
“At that time, I was without a Vice Chair, I was doing a lot of things on the side, I was the Senate Chair, so god forbid I forgot something,” Madappatt said at Wednesday’s meeting. “Of course, the thing I forgot has a lot of repercussions. I did follow up with those Senators to make up their training, but I don’t remember if any Senator actually did come up to me asking about training.”
Vice Chair Sidney Wheeler argued that the resolution was irrelevant, as Madappatt had conducted a training session at the beginning of that night’s meeting for Senators who had been sworn in for the Spring semester, but Ewumi said the resolution was still important to acknowledge.
“It’s pointing out the fact that the Chair was negligent to his duties prior to today,” she said. “There was time for the Chair to give out training to all Senators, which should have been done last semester.”
Senator Emma Rennard, who serves as the junior ranking member of the Committee on Rules and Administration, said in response to concerns over them not presenting evidence to the Senate that they are not able to do so as the committee was in executive session, and that the Senate should be able to trust the word of the committee.
“That is a very alienating experience to have in the Senate body,” Rennard said of the Senators not receiving training. “I think to say ‘well we fixed it now, it’s not a problem anymore,’ is a very dangerous way to look at things.”
Ultimately, the resolution failed with six “yes” votes, 18 “no” votes and 11 abstentions.
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