After Temple Student Government passed a constitutional amendment restructuring the Executive Branch on Sept. 15, the new chief external affairs officer stepped down from her position.
Under the previous Executive Branch structure, a vice president of services and a vice president of external affairs served under the president, while the new structure has one vice president position underneath the president and two chief executives underneath the vice president, according to a TSG statement.
The amendment was first discussed after TSG’s “hectic summer” with COVID-19 and social unrest, said Mark Rey, a senior public health major and the former vice president of services who assumed the sole vice president position after the amendment passed.
“This new restructure will allow for improved efficiency, as well as ensuring that these roles are humanly possible for every member of the team,” Rey added.
The vice president of services and vice president of external affairs were responsible for advising Quinn Litsinger, a junior political science major and TSG president, and overseeing the internal and external affairs divisions, said Sophia Tran, a junior phycology major and the new chief external affairs officer and director of academic services.
The new vice president position will be the sole advisor to Litsinger and will assist in overseeing TSG’s internal operations, which is something the two vice president positions struggled with in the past, Rey said.
The chief internal services officer and chief external services officer oversee the internal services division and external services divisions, respectively, Tran said.
“We are currently adjusting to this new restructure, just working on our platform and trying to carry it out in a way that’s possible due to the fact that everything’s virtual,” Rey said.
Larice Mejia, a senior human resources management major and the former vice president of external affairs who assumed the role of chief external affairs officer when TSG passed the amendment, stepped down from her position on Sept. 25, citing her mental health and other commitments.
Although she left TSG, Mejia will still help the executive branch during the transition, she said.
“I’m always going to be TSG’s biggest advocate,” Mejia said.
Tajnia Hussain, a junior political science major, is the new chief external affairs officer and will remain the director of local and community affairs until that position is filled, she said.
“I will be going through the applications and seeing if they’re qualified for Director of Community Affairs,” Hussain added. “I’m looking for someone . . . who’s familiar with TSG, with what the North Philly community is about, initiatives we’ve worked on, and somebody who’s passionate about community affairs.”
Students had the option to apply for Hussain and Tran’s former positions, the director of local and community affairs and director of academic affairs, until Friday. TSG administration will interview applicants and appoint new directors, Rey said.
Tran is happy with the transition from the director of academic services to the new chief external affairs officer, she said.
“It’s a really great thing, because I think everything will be more specialized than before,” Tran added.
TSG Parliament passed the amendment unanimously, said Issa Kabeer, a seventh-year graduate student pursuing a diversity leadership graduate certification and speaker of Parliament. Parliament needs a three-fourths majority to pass amendments.
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