Dive Brief:
- Two Florida A&M University students have filed an emergency injunction to prevent the school from voiding the results of the recent student government elections, which they won, and holding a second vote.
- HBCU Digest reports Justin Bruno and Devin Harrison won the general election for president and vice president by 149 votes, but the opposition slate appealed the results because of voting irregularities at the law school, and now Bruno and Harrison are accusing the university's president of meddling.
- Bruno and Harrison say they didn’t get a chance to appeal the decision to hold a second vote to the student Supreme Court, and allege that is because FAMU President Elmira Mangum would prefer another student president who is an ally as a voting member of the board of trustees.
Dive Insight:
The prior student body president at Florida A&M University, Tonnette Graham, voted twice to break a tie among other trustees and keep Mangum on as president, foiling efforts to oust her. Without a like-minded student member on the board of trustees, Mangum’s tenure could be in danger. The Florida case is a particularly strong example of the power students wield in university politics.
At the University of Virginia, Teresa Sullivan was forced to resign in June of 2012, but the overwhelming backlash by students and faculty led to her reinstatement just a couple weeks later. Students in Boston at Suffolk University recently tried the same tactic to save President Margaret McKenna, and their efforts seem to have failed — though there is a chance McKenna could remain president after new board members are in place.