Tanner Ewalt, the former President Pro-Tempore of ASUW, explains his resignation was due to the feeling he was unwelcomed and unheard of over the past three years he was at the student government organization.
Ewalt’s resignation took place on September 5, 2023, and only then publicly announced through the election of a new senator to his position. Ewalt, who had been one of the strongest voices in ASUW’s current litigations with Student Affairs over student fee dollars, was kind enough to provide us with some insight to his resignation and the current atmosphere of ASUW through a personal interview.
Ewalt holds many good memories and accomplishments from his time at ASUW that reflect his dedication to issues like allowing students to have equal housing opportunities, sponsoring students through scholarships, and advocating violence prevention.
“I can walk away happy if one of these things happened at my time at ASUW, but all of them happened at my time here [at ASUW],” Ewalt said.
However, Ewalt’s resignation comes from the “Toxic culture in ASUW comes from the President of the University, the Dean of Students, and the student Senators who have talked about it endlessly.”
Ewalt recognizes how this atmosphere of ASUW has been coming for some time, and it has only gotten worse in the past year.
“The personal vindictiveness of those who have power over others in ASUW directly affects those people’s jobs as a Senator,” Ewalt siad.
This, he believes, has created a loss of interest by the student body and tension in the Senate, especially over the summer as ASUW was faced with autonomy and an exodus of experienced members leaving.
Said tension has become a double-edged sword as senators both stand alongside their peers in voicing their wants and vendettas but also default to conflict within the Senate chambers and with exterior administration.
