By Vince Gasparini | February 19, 2025
A resolution submitted by Senator Trevor Pettit calling for President Jalen Rose and Vice President Amelia Crawford to resign failed to pass at Wednesday’s (2/12) Student Association Senate meeting.
President Rose addressing the Senate at Wednesday’s meeting.
Photo Credit: Vince Gasparini / The ASP
The resolution, titled “The Before Everything-Else, Accountability Resolution,” called for Rose’s and Crawford’s resignations due to them not being physically present in Albany because of their internships in Washington D.C., and also due to the ongoing temporary closure of Camp Dippikill.
Pettit claims that for these reasons, the heads of the executive branch are not able to fulfill their duties. He also fears that SA has a negative perception among the student body, and he expressed concern that the student activity fee - which funds SA and, by extension, all student organizations - may be voted to go optional in its referendum in this semester’s general election.
“We know the stakes and the organizations that depend on funding from the Student Association to carry on their services,” Pettit said when introducing his resolution on the Senate floor.
If it passed, it would not have forced the President and Vice President to resign, but it would have served as a symbolic statement on behalf of the Senate.
Rose made a surprise in-person appearance at the meeting while Crawford attended via Zoom; the President had made the trip up to Albany to attend The Student Association Departments of Gender and Sexuality Services and Disability and Health’s “Love Yourz” event on Valentine’s Day.
Both the President and the Vice President questioned whether or not Pettit and the co-sponsors of the bill knew the responsibilities of the executive branch that they were claiming weren’t being fulfilled, with Rose asking Pettit to “list maybe three responsibilities I do on a daily basis.”
Pettit responded that he was unable to do so since he is not the President.
Later on in the meeting, Crawford expressed frustration with Pettit and the co-sponsors of the bill, as she felt that they had not communicated their concerns directly to her and Rose, and also that they were not correct in their claims of the heads of the executive branch not being able to fulfill their duties.
“How are you going to write a whole entire resolution saying that we don’t know what we’re doing when you haven’t even asked us how we’re doing it,” Crawford said. “You have failed to prove a single way we aren’t doing it.”
Ultimately, the vote on the resolution tallied five “yes” votes, 10 “no” votes, and nine abstentions.
After the resolution failed, Pettit told the ASP that he was “surprised” by the outcome. However, he also said he was pleased that Rose attended the meeting and he felt the conversation was productive.
“I think in that sense, the resolution was a success,” he said. “Pass or fail, it wouldn’t have really done anything, because resolutions just call on somebody to take an action. But I think it did send a message of accountability, and since Jalen came, that message was heard.”
Pettit also said that he is now unsure whether or not he believes Rose should resign and that the situation in its current state is “undesirable for everybody,” and that he ultimately wants what’s best for SA and the student body.
Rose, however, felt disheartened by the fact that Senators had brought forth the resolution without talking to him and Crawford more extensively beforehand.
“I’m just disappointed that they took that route without ever trying to communicate or bridge a gap or express any concerns over email or phone call, or even in-person,” Rose told the ASP.
“I’m happy that the Senate didn’t let misinformation guide their decisions,” he said. “And for the Senators who still disagree with my decision, I do encourage them to come and speak to me in my office hours or with my phone number that they all have.”
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