Student petition raises concerns at SPU
Recently, a petition has been circulating around the SPU community in support of Andy Spalletta, the winning candidate for the position of vice president of ministries for the 2018-2019 school year.
Due to what is claimed to be false accusations regarding a violation of lifestyle policy by the petition, Spalletta was dismissed from their position, and the runner-up Maddy Fulcher, who is seen as a more conservative candidate, has taken their place.
The petition states that Spalletta was out of town during the alleged incident, and Residence Life has no tangible proof of it ever happening.
Regardless, Spalletta felt the treatment they received resembled a “guilty until proven innocent” jurisprudence.
The petition requires 1,500 signatures in order to be addressed by SPU administration and as of Tuesday night has acquired 1,075.
This controversy comes just a few weeks after the situation involving current ASSP President Mary Liu and former Vice President of Finance Spencer O’Hara regarding LGBTQ+ discrimination.
Despite the accusations and proof held by O’Hara, no consequences took place to reprimand the discrimination that had happened.
Many felt the administration handled the situation apathetically.
As far as the Spalletta incident, it is important to note that this not the first time an elected candidate has been dismissed from their position due to lifestyle violations.
SPU has a history of taking such serious measures against policy infractures, and it would make sense that if proof were evident, they would follow suit.
The university’s current human sexuality statement is not affirming of the LGBTQ+ community and has been a topic of discussion in the recent months.
This petition only brings further into question the choices administration takes.
The minimal transparency displayed throughout their actions causes valid concerns over their reasoning and motives. Partly due to the disconnect between administration and the student body, these conversations have been difficult to maintain.
The fact that the administration is even accused of complicity discriminating a portion of our student body is concerning. The administration should be more clear and precise on their decision making in order to foster these discussions and regain the trust of the student body.
We at the Falcon would like to state our support of the LGBTQ+ community. We find it our responsibility to investigate this scenario to the best of our ability and report to our readers for the education and benefit of our whole community.