Seconds after Black Student Association voted to suspend GPA requirements for executive chair candidates, a new slate took advantage of the relaxed standards and announced its candidacy.
The new slate consists of junior Jarrod Dortch for president, sophomore Stephen Jeffers for vice president, sophomore Adenike Aderiye for secretary, sophomore Tamera Williams for treasurer, junior Carla Burke for director of social events and sophomore Malcolm McIntyre for political chair.
They will compete against the slate comprising junior Michelle Hudson for president, sophomore Russell Hale for vice president, junior Marvin Eans for secretary, freshman Sarah Mitchell for treasurer, sophomore Raykisha Smith for director of social events and junior Nataki Sanders for political chair.
Freshman Cami Thomas and junior Lanette Sims are running individually for director of social events and vice president, respectively.
Suspending the 2.5 GPA requirement for a semester was proposed at the prior week's meeting, which postponed election nominations.
The suspension was to allow members who did not meet the requirements but wished to run for executive office the opportunity to do so, as long as they obtained a 2.5 or higher by the next semester, when the original requirements resume.
Some members of Dortch's slate did not meet the former GPA standards, though they did not specify who.
Members voted to table the motion until Tuesday, giving members time to decide on whether to support the idea or not.
Sims said the requirement should be suspended to make way for those who wish to take on leadership positions.
"Having the GPA requirement doesn't make you an excellent leader," Sims said. "There are some who don't have the GPA, but they are still excellent leaders."
Senior Obie LeFlore said the requirement should stand.
"A lot of organizations are setting standards about what they want their leaders to have," he said. "To lower your standards says you're cheapening your requirements."
Senior Julian Grace opposed changing the GPA, saying it would hinder any efforts to establish BSA's credibility.
Initially, the proposal failed to meet the required number of votes, two-thirds of the members. There was a motion to revote, however, and the proposal passed.
Candidates running for committee chair positions, which do not have a GPA requirement, are senior Eric Askew for freshman caucus, McIntyre for Martin Luther King Day, Sims for Black History Month, and Burke for Miss Unity Pageant.
Junior Shawn Headley said the GPA requirement suspension is not the biggest issue to argue about.
"We shouldn't have to set an image so much as providing service to the community," he said. "If the people vote on it, it should be."
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