Student Association Chief of Staff Taylor Carr resigned Monday due to his frustrations with the organization and its current leadership.

‘We have strayed away from our main goal, and that is accomplishing and achieving results for our constituents,’ Carr said of SA’s 56th session. ‘If you look at completed initiatives up to this point and what tangible results we have, I don’t think you are going to find many.’

Carr, who was President Dylan Lustig’s opponent during the last SA presidential race, was appointed to the chief of staff position by Lustig after Carr’s loss. Carr said he believes there is a lack of accountability within SA’s leadership and many mistakes are being made. In his letter of resignation addressed to Lustig and Jennifer Baccolores, chair of the Board of Elections and Membership, Carr stated the pinnacle of his frustrations have resulted from SA becoming a ‘network of friends, not a network of leaders.’

‘I honestly came into this semester and this session with high hopes and an open mind about making the biggest difference and the most positive change on campus that we can,’ Carr said. ‘As time moved forward, it just became more and more obvious that wasn’t going to happen.’

Change for the student body is not happening, Carr said, because the president and vice president of the organization are not delivering it. Carr said in his letter that initiatives have failed because of irresponsible and unacceptable behavior of those ”leading’ this organization.’

Carr’s main role as chief of staff is to advise the president and vice president on the initiatives they are working on. He said because nothing is progressing, he is unable to do his job.

‘Things have just gone the opposite of what I would have hoped for. My job is pointless. The advising is mute and not needed,’ Carr said.

In his letter obtained by The Daily Orange, Carr stressed the importance of members realizing SA is not just a club, as it is charged with approving the millions of dollars that make up the student activity fee and advocating for the entire student body.

‘This organization is losing the respect of its members and of the administration. What scares me is what’s next, losing the respect of our constituents,’ Carr wrote. He said this loss will occur if the organization continues on the track it is on without open communication.

Carr said his heart is not in holding the position and that it is selfish to continue holding it out of principle, pride or hope that there is change within the administration in the near future.

He said he hopes someone who believes in the current type of leadership style will fill the position.

Carr’s resignation was not addressed or announced at Monday night’s SA meeting.

Lustig said he has people in mind for the position who are current members of SA. He said he will have someone appointed by next semester.

Lustig said Carr’s resignation is something he did not see coming and was taken aback by it.

‘I was frustrated that he did not come and talk to me beforehand, or at all throughout this process,’ Lustig said.

Lustig said he had high hopes for Carr to be a leader within his cabinet, and he is disappointed with Carr for leaving.

‘I don’t want to say it was because he didn’t win, but I think it was because he wasn’t necessarily happy. I think he lost interest,’ Lustig said.

Though Lustig said he thinks there were aspects of Carr’s role he could have worked harder on while in the organization, he hopes Carr contributes to SA in the future. Carr does love SA, Lustig said, and the work Carr put forward was valuable to the organization as a whole.

Said Carr: ‘I’ve just reached this pinnacle, this boiling point, and it is just time to move on.’

rebarill@syr.edu

-Staff writer Dylan Segelbaum contributed reporting to this article.  

Published on April 23, 2012 at 12:00 pm