Kennedi Hutchins, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25 and former vice president of United Student Government at Lincoln Center (USGLC), resigned from her position on Aug. 21 shortly after being elected on May 1. Hutchins won the election with 97.3% of the vote and was the only running candidate. She shared that her decision to step down was communicated to the current president of USGLC, Tanzema Qureshi, FCLC ’24, as well as to Christina Frankovic-Sepsi, USGLC’s advisor and director for the Office for Student Involvement.
According to Hutchins, she considered leaving the vice presidency position toward the end of the summer after being dissatisfied with the club’s future trajectory and noticing that the club’s working style had shifted from that of years prior, with disagreements arising amongst the executive board over USGLC’s prospects. She added that as she began working alongside e-board members within the 2023-24 administration, she wondered whether she would be able to dedicate her time toward USGLC alongside her other leadership position on campus as the president of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) as well as time commitments on campus.
“I can only do so much as one person, I just felt I’ll step down. My time on USGLC can be used in a different way, and I can let the e-board run as they would,” she said.
Since Hutchins had assumed the vice presidency in May, the initiatives she had originally planned during her candidacy were not executed.
Hutchins also explained that because not all USGLC positions were filled during the spring election period, which took place from April 27-28, she felt USGLC was inevitably focused on a multitude of different initiatives with minimal resources to execute them.
“The future dynamic of USGLC this year wasn’t really in my best interest,” she said. “I feel like the focus of USG is really being spread thin, and while in theory it’s for the better and it’s great to help in every way we can, we also need to acknowledge what we can do as a student government of a campus of a huge university.”
Hutchins first joined USGLC as a first-year senator and later became the student affairs chair her sophomore year. She noted that she chose to run for vice president last spring because she wanted to become more involved with operations, especially as she entered her third year with USGLC.
The former vice president noted that she had cultivated close-knit ties with other members who joined USGLC during the COVID-19 pandemic and were committed to improving the club for in-person activities. She mentioned that the nature of USGLC evolved in a direction she disfavored as new members who were not present when pandemic restrictions were in place.
“I understand where she’s coming from and would not be surprised if others follow suit.” Bianca Ortega, GSBLC ’25
“A lot of the members last year were upperclassmen, people who were not reelected or were just filtered out,” Hutchins said. “It was a swarm of new people and new ideas and people who weren’t as familiar with how USGLC can necessarily operate.”
Hutchins specified that she doesn’t attribute her reason to leaving on a specific situation or certain individuals. While she is glad many new members joined various positions on the editorial board, the lack of familiarity with how USGLC functions as well as what actions can and cannot be undertaken made leaving the position more appealing.
“There is more than enough room to grow on the board and I look forward to the e-board learning and progressing,” she said.
The former vice president of USGLC said that some members adopted a singular approach to governing USGLC, as opposed to embracing student government as a collaborative approach. While she believes the club will still be successful and accomplish many goals, she noted that the community aspect she once felt is no longer present and that USGLC has felt similar to a “tasking club” as the years have gone.
Since Hutchins had assumed the vice presidency in May, the initiatives she had originally planned during her candidacy were not executed.
Qureshi shared her support of Hutchins’ decision and passed on well wishes.
“I think it’s a practical good decision to make as she is president of BSA and this is a large time commitment, and I’m so excited to see everything she will accomplish through BSA,” she said.
“I’m sad to go but I’ll definitely be involved one way or another.” Kennedi Hutchins, FCLC ’25
Bianca Ortega, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC) ’25 and a GSBLC junior senator for USGLC, said that Hutchins’ decision to step down as vice president was “interesting,” and hopes she will remain in the club in some capacity. She noted that she is “not surprised” as USGLC positions can be stressful without adequate support or collaboration, and cited that Hutchins was a leading figure alongside Djellza Pulatani, FCLC ’24 and former president of USGLC, in the 2022-23 administration.
“I completely stand with Kennedi and support her in her decision,” she said. “I understand where she’s coming from and would not be surprised if others follow suit, as Kennedi has been a pillar of USG and has been a driving force in what USG accomplished last year along with Djellza.”
Frankovic-Sepsi also shared that she is supportive of Hutchins’ decision to step down as vice president, and hopes she continues involvement with USGLC.
Hutchins mentioned that she is looking forward to the events planned by new members of USGLC, such as the humanitarian ad-hoc committee and the committee of sexual misconduct. She also expressed her gratitude for her time at USGLC, having described it as her “home,” and sends well wishes to Qureshi and whoever fills the vice president role.
“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “I’m sad to go but I’ll definitely be involved one way or another.”
The former vice president noted that she may remain involved with USGLC as a general member in the future.
