During Wednesday’s Senate meeting, Senator and Speaker of the Senate Alex Meseck announced he is resigning from both positions.
As members of the Senate presented their reports Wednesday, April 27, Meseck announced he had submitted his letter of resignation earlier in the day, and next week’s meeting would be his last.
“It was completely my own personal choice. I wasn’t influenced or pressured by anyone else,” Meseck said.
He cited health issues, as well as other “accumulating” personal issues, as the reasons for his sudden resignation. Meseck has epilepsy, a condition that causes seizures, which in some cases, can be brought on by stress.
He said Senate meetings often run late into the night, which also caused him to lose sleep on a regular basis, which can also intensify his condition.
Meseck said he holds several other roles on campus, which was stressful on him, and he did not want to put his health at risk.
He also said he was “not doing justice (to all positions) by spreading himself thin.”
Meseck said he felt he was lacking in some of the areas of the speaker of the Senate position and he felt as though he was not “there enough” for the other senators.
Part of his role is to “unify the Senate” on issues and debates, but he said he feels he has not been able to successfully do that.
“These decisions are sometimes difficult for students to come to, but in most situations that I am aware of they turn out to be positive decisions,” Vice President of Student Affairs and Student Association Adviser Bryan Hartman said. “I wish Alex well as he continues to pursue both his academic and out-of-the-classroom experiences here at SUNY Plattsburgh. I trust that Alex will continue to make a positive impact on our campus.”
Meseck also said he felt there was “not enough time to adequately resolve problems facing the campus,” through the new outreach system implemented by the SA. He said he felt the outreach system was not enough as well.
“I’m sure it was a very difficult decision for him to make, but in the end he did what he felt was best for both himself and the SA as a whole, and for that, I commend him,” SA President Michael Kimmer said.
The Senate will work at next week’s meeting to elect their new speaker of the Senate, who will participate as a representative in Executive Council meetings. Meseck’s spot on the Senate will be filled by an open election in the beginning of next semester.
“It’s really sad to see him go, he did so much for all of us individually and as a group.” Senator Ryann Senzon said, “It will be hard to replace him.”
Email Marissa Russo at marissa.russo@cardinalpointsonline.com
