Second Senator Resigns Following Debate Over Committee Chair Appointments
By Brynn Brown | October 26, 2026
Student Association Senator Adrian Cummings resigned from his position in the senate after his appointment as the chair of the Parking and Safety Committee sparked intense debate among the senate at an emergency meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
“I know a lot of the leadership picks might spark some debate, but it was a very deliberate choice on my end. All members of leadership have the energy, focus and drive needed to actually keep this project moving forward,” said Senate Chair Jaden Burke.
As the Senate discussed the bill, several people brought concerns forward, regarding both the process that led to the appointments and the appointment of Cummings to committee chair.
Senator Alana Borrero questioned if the senate chair spoke to all the proposed committee members and asked if they wanted to chair the committee.
In response, Burke said, “I said that I spoke to these committee members, not offered them chair. I did not say that, but I had spoken to them about their membership within the committee."
“You didn’t speak to me,” said Senator Jordan Forrester, who was on the proposed committee.
“I might have not spoken directly to you, no,” said Chair Burke.
“So would you say your previous statement is false?” asked Senator Forrester.
“No,” said Burke, who later explained that there was a GroupMe message instructing the senators to like the message if they wanted to be on the committee. Anyone who liked it was added to the committee, according to Burke. “The minimum was liking the message, and then as far as speaking with them in person or via text message,” said Burke.
Senator Carolina Thomas also alleged that she and Senator Adrian Cummings had mutual cease and desist petitions against each other, which Cummings confirmed later in the meeting. She also alleged that he falsified a legal notice against her and harassed her in a group chat.
“To say that I am comfortable in this room, with this person here, would be a lie,” said Thomas. “To appoint someone like this, who has done other things that other people will debate about tonight, would be hypocritical. Someone who has a cease and desist and community standards sanctions… and has done other things that constitute police reports, they should not be chair of the safety committee.”
“I do not think that a senator who followed another former senator back to their living establishment, uninvited, unwelcome, should be platformed as chair of a safety committee,” said Senator Ethan Kavalunas of the allegations. “I think that is not in good faith.”
“I didn’t follow anybody back to their room,” said Cummings. “I did not threaten to sue anybody… I was, I guess you could say cosplaying a real politician.”
“I have a stellar GPA and a fantastic career going on, so clearly I’m not missing out that badly,” Cummings added.
The debate raged on, with the senators reiterating that someone who has allegedly made others feel unsafe should not chair the Parking and Safety Committee. Ultimately, the bill ended up tabled, due to the confusion and the debate regarding the committee chair. Burke pledged to bring a new set of appointments at a later meeting.
“I sincerely apologize if I made anybody feel unsafe… Obviously I’m not the man for the job for this,” said Cummings, as the last speaker prior to the bill’s official tabling. “I’ve heard a lot about myself tonight, and I will be reflecting inward.”
Following the Oct. 14 meeting, Cummings later resigned from his position as senator. He is the second senator to do so, following Abdul Kablaoui’s resignation after the previous senate meeting. Both resigned after their appointments to different committee chairs failed to be passed by the senate. Cummings declined a request to comment.
The next meeting on October 21, saw a new appointment bill for the Parking and Safety Committee pass by unanimous consent with Senator David Harrison as Chair, Senator Jelani Harris as Senior Ranking Member, and Senator Jordan Forrester as Junior Ranking Member.
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