Amidst gasps and dropped jaws, one of the Student Government Association’s senior senators stunned the senate when she resigned from her position Monday.
During the Student Relations Committee (SRC) report, Brittani King, 21, took the floor and read her resignation letter. After finishing and handing the letter to Senate Pro-Tempore Ebony Ivory, 20, King immediately left the senate chambers.
In her letter, King, a political science and philosophy religion student from Orlando, said part of the reason she left is because she felt she could serve FAMU better in another position. King also said she was upset by people in the senate who were there to benefit themselves and not the students.
While she focused on why she was resigning, King also left some inspiring messages to some members of the senate, calling the freshman senators “the hope of the senate.”
Although King will no longer be a senator, she will continue to participate in the SRC.
“I’ll be a volunteer but I will continue to be on my committee,” said King, who was the vice-chairwoman last year. “I’ve been on that committee for three years.”
After the meeting, King, who has been a senator since her freshman year, elaborated on the reasons she stepped down.
“I’ve done a lot of work up there. I’ve become very drained,” King said, noting that she will be putting emphasis on finishing her college career. “I’m trying to graduate.”
Unhappiness with the lack of senate progress also influenced King to resign. King said being in a position for so long and not seeing any progress became frustrating.
“I don’t feel like I’m doing as much for them (students) as I can in my position,” King said.
She also left a message to Sen. Monique Gillum, 19.
King noted that like her, Gillum often travels the road less traveled by not always following the crowd.
“Monique is like me in the way she’s fighting the good fight,” King said.
But she believes fighting a good fight sometimes does not affect the senate. “It often times doesn’t, sadly.”
Gillum, who said King was her mentor, did not know about King’s resignation until the meeting started, but she understands why she stepped down.
“I think she was kind of frustrated with the senate,” said Gillum, a sophomore political science student from Gainesville. “She often said that leadership is lonely at the top.”
King, who had a passion for what she did, was an excellent senator because she did not always go along with what was popular at the time, Gillum said.
“She always stood with what she believed in. She definitely made her mark in the senate,” Gillum said.
Other senators also held King in high regards.
“To see her have to step away…really hurts,” said Sen. Larry Ferguson, 20, a junior business administration student from Charleston, S.C.
“King is probably one of the best senators I’ve seen,” he said.
Ivory, who acted as senate president because of Keon Hardemon’s absence, said she will miss King’s passion and dedication, but understands why King chose to step down.
“She felt she can be an effective leader outside the senate,” said Ivory, a junior business administration student from Fort Lauderdale.
With King gone, the senate will have to worry about finding another senior senator. Ivory said the Elections and Appointment Committee (EAC) will put out advertisements for the available spot.
Any interested senior can fill out an application and later be confirmed. In order to be confirmed, the applicant must know the role of the senate and the duties of the senators.
“They’ll be given that information when they pick up their application,” said Ivory, who predicts the vacancy will be filled in about a month.
King said that whoever fills her spot should be someone eager, ethical and not in Student Government Association to help themselves.
“I want (my replacement) to be someone excited about serving the students.”
Contact Brandon D. Oliver at bdoliver11@yahoo.com