AUSA President Anand Rama has handed in notice of his resignation just nine weeks into his first semester as head of the organisation.
In a Facebook post after his resignation, Rama said he was not “in a good headspace” during his tenure and said resigning was “[putting] myself and my own health first, for the first time in what’s felt like a long time”.
When Rama departs on May 27, current Education Vice-President George Barton will take the helm.
“This is not how I ever wanted or expected the year to progress and definitely not how I ever wanted to come into the role,” said Barton, but committed to progressing the exec’s plans for the year, such as pushing for more engagement in local body elections and delivering a mental health report to the university.
Interestingly, AUSA’s brand spanking new constitution allows the Vice-President to step into the President role permanently. So, instead of a by-election for President, Auckland Uni students will vote for someone to replace Barton as Education Vice-President.
Rama said he hopes other students will learn from his experience. “Learn to be open to those around [you],” Rama told Craccum, “Talk to your family, talk to your friends, talk to a counsellor, talk to anyone, because that’s the first step”.