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RUSA executive board member resigns, citing lack of inclusivity for LGBTQ+ students

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Former Rutgers University Student Assembly executive board member said they faced animosity during their time at the organization.  – Photo by Samantha Cheng

On Jan. 19, School of Arts and Sciences senior Miguel Ribau resigned from their former positions as a member of the Rutgers University Student Assembly executive board, legislative affairs committee chair, LGBTQ+ coalition chair and queer caucus representative after a conflict they had with another member of the executive board.

Ribau shared an Instagram post the same day detailing their resignation and the factors leading up to it. The post has since received more than 1,700 likes as of Jan 20.

Prior to the resignation, they said they had been involved in the Assembly since their sophomore year, when they were elected as chair of the legislative affairs committee. In May 2021, they were chosen to serve as chair of the LGBTQ+ coalition, which they had formed and before later being chosen as queer caucus representative to the Assembly.

Ribau said that LGBTQ+ members of the Assembly have long struggled to reach true representation in student government and that they have often felt alone in bringing forward issues relevant to their community.

They said that there had been times when they considered resigning from the Assembly prior to Jan. 19, but they chose to stay in order to help University students.

“Since the past spring elections, the environment within (the Assembly) has been so difficult to manage that I had at numerous points considered resignation,” they said. “I had stayed within the organization due to the fact that I had always held to the belief that there was much more work to be done in order to help the student body, and it was not until recent events that I would conclude that resignation was the best course of action.”

In their formal resignation letter, Ribau said they witnessed the incorrect use of personal pronouns when referring to LGBTQ+ members of the Assembly and sought to address the issue in order to maintain an inclusive environment.

“My colleague in the (executive board) who had been most identified as having used incorrect pronouns did not seem to modify her behavior, utilizing incorrect pronouns for myself and other members despite continuous correction,” they said.

Ribau said most Assemblymembers have respected personal pronouns and have been receptive to corrections. They said this issue with their colleague first arose during an Assembly meeting on Zoom and that they corrected her several times throughout the meeting but later felt the need to act further due to her consistent misuse of pronouns.

They said that upon bringing up their concerns in an executive board meeting on Oct. 17, 2021, the colleague, who they identified as Assembly Vice President and School of Arts and Sciences junior Nina Gohel, still continued to use incorrect pronouns.

After this meeting, Ribau said they met again with Gohel on Oct. 28, 2021, after a General Assembly meeting in hopes of resolving the matter. At this time, Gohel called their attempt to bring up their concerns in the previous executive board meeting inappropriate and accused them of attempting to get her impeached and removed from her position, they said. 

Ribau said the assembly president, parliamentarian and treasurer were all present for the entirety of the exchange between Gohel and themself on Oct. 28, 2021, after which they did not receive any form of apology for Gohel’s behavior.

Though, Assembly Treasurer Adnan Akbar, a Rutgers Business School senior, said he left this meeting early and did not witness the discussion between Gohel and Ribau.

In a statement released Jan. 22, School of Arts and Sciences senior and Assembly President Nikhil Sadaranganey said he would be working privately with both Ribau and Gohel to discuss the issue and find a resolution. 

Despite the continued usage of incorrect pronouns, Ribau said they still hoped to make the Assembly a more inclusive environment. They began to doubt the possibility of this after learning that an executive board member had repeatedly used a racial slur.

Ribau said that they met with higher leadership — the Assembly president, vice president and parliamentarian — on Dec. 9, 2021, to discuss the issue. 

Ribau expressed dismay that the meeting primarily focused on whether Ribau would discuss matters publicly rather than on the executive board member’s use of inappropriate language. They said they have filed an ethics complaint form with the Assembly, and the issue is currently being investigated.

“As student leaders, we have a duty to stand up for those most underrepresented in our community at Rutgers University,” they said. “I am incredibly disheartened that the organization that I have put so much time and care into has devolved into one in which our very student leaders are not willing to hold themselves or others to account, and it is for that reason that I am leaving this organization.”

On Jan. 20, Gohel released a statement on Instagram detailing her reaction to Ribau’s resignation letter. She said she was disappointed at their resignation and that many of their allegations were inaccurate and based on out-of-context information.

In the post, Gohel admitted she had unintentionally misgendered an individual but said that this was done without malicious intent and that she corrected herself and apologized immediately afterward.

“Throughout my time in (the Assembly), I have always strived to be a passionate and strong advocate for all students of every association, especially the LGBTQ+ community at Rutgers,” she said. “I have always worked to make sure that the diversity of our campus was reflected in the Assembly and all actions were as inclusive as possible.”

In addition, Gohel said she wanted to clarify that she was not the executive board member who used the racial slur as mentioned in Ribau’s resignation letter and instead participated in dialogues about the issue with Ribau and higher leadership of the Assembly. 

“Accountability is important, and we must ask questions to find the truth before we make rash judgments and take unsupported actions,” Gohel said. “I look forward to continuing vital conversations for and with communities across campus and upholding inclusive actions together.”

Ribau said Gohel’s statement fails to take accountability for the situation and wrongfully suggests that the former’s resignation letter is inaccurate in its description of the events leading up to their resignation. 

While they do not think that Gohel had malicious intent when using incorrect pronouns, Ribau said they are disappointed by her hostile response upon being asked to correct her behavior. They said they have not spoken with Gohel since their resignation. 

“My letter of resignation and statement on social media was indeed accurate, and in a conversation with (Assembly President Sadaranganey) following my resignation, the president — who had been witness to my meeting with the vice president, had personally expressed to me that he acknowledged that the statement made by the vice president was untrue and misleading and further that my own statement was entirely accurate,” they said. 

In his statement, Sadaranganey did not comment on the accuracy of either Ribau or Gohel’s statement but said the Assembly still had “room to learn, develop and grow” with respect to diversity and inclusion.

Ribau said that several other individuals have also resigned from the Assembly as a result of its culture and that the organization’s structure breeds a lack of accountability.

The organization's primary method of dealing with internal conflict is an ethics complaint form that can discourage members from speaking out about issues due to its complexity, they said. 

“While the behavior of specific individuals in office is certainly a pressing matter and is in large part what has been discussed surrounding my resignation, I would note that such behaviors only have power upon receiving institutional backing or, at the very least, an institutional aversion towards accountability,” they said. 

On Jan. 20, Assemblymember Jassie Morcos, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and former chair of the judicial council, resigned from the organization, according to a letter shared with members of the Assembly.

In her resignation letter, she said the judicial council has encountered disrespect within the Assembly and that she personally has been treated poorly in the organization.

Sadaranganey said he would pass an executive order that requires Assembly presidents to conduct routine meetings with executive board members about their thoughts on the organization’s culture, according to his statement.

Ribau’s resignation comes after former Assembly President Gavin Mayes, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, resigned in early September 2021 following an internal conflict between him and other individuals on the executive board, including Gohel, as previously reported by The Daily Targum.

On Jan. 21, Sydney Johnson, a Rutgers—Camden senior and student body president of Rutgers—Camden, publicly shared a formal statement calling for Gohel’s resignation with the Assembly.

In the statement, they said Ribau has told them about the treatment they received from the Assembly’s executive board and their account of Gohel’s behavior has been confirmed by many executive board members.

Additionally, Johnson said that in several meetings with higher administration, Gohel has repeatedly interrupted them and Shakee Merritt, a Rutgers—Newark junior and student body president of Rutgers—Newark, in conversations that should have only involved the three student body presidents.

The Assembly has not yet issued a statement in response to The Daily Targum's request for comment.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on Jan. 23 with additional reporting.


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