Curtis Ofori was officially dismissed from Student Council Sunday after the Council Rules and Ethics Board denied his Thursday appeal to continue serving as a College representative.
The board found Ofori in violation of Student Council by-laws requiring Council representatives to be enrolled as full-time students in their respective schools.
"It was evident that Curtis was an excellent representative, and we lament the decision we had to make," Rules and Ethics Board Chair Lee Hark said. "His fitness as a representative was never in question."
Ofori was elected as a College representative in the spring of 2003, before he knew he would be accepted into the Commerce School.
Currently, Ofori is enrolled in the Commerce School while simultaneously pursuing a College major in economics. Hark said one of the matters of contention was whether Ofori was technically enrolled in both the College and the Commerce School.
University officials and Council members agreed that once Ofori transferred into the Commerce School, he was no longer enrolled in the College.
"Ultimately what we found is that Curtis' belief that a student can be enrolled in two schools at once is erroneous," Hark said.
Hark added that when Ofori chose to enroll in the Commerce School, he severed his relationship with College students and thus could no longer represent them on Council.
Council Executive Vice President Rabeen Pasha said the College will choose two new representatives by the end of the week to fill the vacancies left by Ofori and Ben Hicks, another College-turned-Commerce student dismissed by Council. Hicks did not appeal the original decision.
Ofori said he gained valuable knowledge about Council's constitution and by-laws by examining them throughout the process.
"Although disappointed by the board's decision, I think two great things were accomplished," he said. "One, it challenged the interpretation of the executive vice president, and two, it questioned the divide between the Commerce School and the College."
Ofori said he plans to continue serving on Council in the future.
"When I run for an executive position on Student Council in next month's spring election, I will bring this issue to the forefront of the discussion," he said.
Hark said the hearing generated good discussion among all those involved.
"It was a very professional hearing," he said. "Both Curtis and Rebeen represented themselves very well. I think everyone was proud to be a member of Student Council that night."
Read More
Board of Visitors ends support for racial diversity goals
By Brendon Bordwine | 7 hours agoThe newly approved resolution, titled “Advancing Free Inquiry and Viewpoint Diversity at U.Va.”, calls for efforts to create a campus environment that supports open political dialogue, constructive debate and respect for differing perspectives.
Student Council unanimously approves Summer 2025 budget
By Lauren Seeliger | 9 hours agoUtilization rates refer to the amount of money actually used within the allocated budget — increasing these rates to prevent wasted money has been a primary goal of Student Council.
Bert Ellis reflects on time as member of Board of Visitors
By Cecilia Mould | 16 hours agoWhile Ellis entered the Board with certain priorities in mind, he said that most had not been accomplished during his term, without a majority of Youngkin appointees on the Board.
