The Student Government of the University of Nevada, Reno
The Student Government of the University of Nevada, Reno
Posted May 10, 2012 at 10:00 PM by Amy Koeckes
Statement from the ASUN Executive Branch
The Associated Students of the University of Nevada apologize on behalf of the Association for a tweet sent out by an ASUN senator on Sunday, May 6, 2012. The tweet was offensive and inappropriate, and is in no way an expression of the Association’s beliefs. The senator responsible for the tweet will be resigning effective immediately.
“I would like to apologize directly to anyone who may have been offended by the content of the tweet,” said ASUN President, Huili Weinstock. “Students have come forward and expressed their concerns. I would like to say ASUN does not support this kind of speech. We will be offering a public forum on Monday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m. in the JCSU Theater to listen to concerns our students have about this incident. We welcome all students to attend.”
In addition to the public forum, ASUN will also be moving the date of its mandatory employee sexual harassment and discrimination training to June 2, during the ASUN retreat.
“This is a serious issue and we are not taking it lightly,” said MacCallister Higgins, Speaker of the ASUN Senate. “The Association exists for all students at the University and we would never intentionally speak out against a particular group of people in a disrespectful manner.”
“Currently, we are dealing with the complex world of social media,” said Weinstock. “ASUN employees will be trained on responsible use of social media and how to appropriately represent the students of the University through social media, in addition to sexual harassment and discrimination training.”
The letter of resignation is below. Speaker Higgins will read the resignation letter into the record at the ASUN s senate meeting on Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m.
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Apology, Resignation from Sen. Spenser Blank
Effective immediately, I, Sen. Spenser Blank of the Reynolds School of Journalism, am submitting my official letter of resignation from the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada due to the recent actions I’ve taken and offensive words I’ve said.
Words cannot express enough how sincerely sorry I am for the actions I’ve taken that hurt my constituents in the Reynolds School of Journalism and every other student who was offended by what I said.
I am taking full responsibility for my actions and I plan to personally apologize to the groups of people who have approached me.
As a senator, I have disappointed my constituents, ASUN and the University of Nevada. I feel it is in the best interest of my constituents and the rest of the student body for me to resign from my elected position.
I have developed an intense passion for ASUN and I am sorry my term had to end like this. I, in no way, intended to tarnish the reputation of ASUN and I did not intend for my action to represent the opinion of ASUN.
There should be no excuse for what I said, the words I said do not reflect my personal beliefs about any particular group of people. For those I’ve hurt and offended, again, I am sincerely sorry.
I would also like to apologize to the Reynolds School of Journalism students, faculty and staff. I respect the school and I am sorry if what I have done has given a poor reputation to a fantastic school that gives great learning opportunities to its students and has, personally, given me my passion for journalism.
After I have apologized to those I’ve hurt in person, I plan to remain involved in the student government in any way I can. I will take this mistake and turn it into a learning opportunity for myself.
Sincerely,
Spenser Blank
Mail Stop 058
Reno, NV 89557
Phone: (775) 784-6589
Fax: (775) 327-5324
FUZE