2020 Student Association President Scandal
In early 2020, Yousouf Amolegbe, then-president of the Student Association, was suspended for conflict of interest between the Student Association (SA) and RAGE Boyz Entertainment, a company for which he was co-CEO.
Conflict of Interest & Initial Suspension
On January 31, 2020, Amolegbe was suspended by the SA Board of Directors (BOD) for planning to host rapper Fivio Foreign at SA's Trap Fest on the same night he planned to host the rapper for an event hosted by his company RAGE Boyz Entertainment. Under his deal, SA would have paid Fivio Foreign $9,500 to cover transportation and enable RAGE Boyz to book him for "much cheaper."[1]. The following Sunday, 763 people signed a petition urging the BOD to lift the suspension, which would require a two-thirds majority vote.
Results of Investigation
The initial investigation by the Rules, Administration and Government Oversight committee (RAGO) found him guilty of conflict-of-interest violations related to SA events. The committee found Amolegbe guilty of violations including: DJ Mike West's appearance at Spring Fest 2019, Amolegbe's alleged failure to familiarize himself with SA's conflict-of-interest policy, his alleged failure to disclose RAGE Boyz as a potential conflict of interest, his failure to disclose DJ Wire's alleged affiliation with RAGE Boyz, his allegedly booking West for Winter Gala after being informed it would be a conflict of interest, his failure to disclose West as his roommate and the co-CEO of RAGE Boyz, and his arrangement with Fivio Foreign.[1]
The BOD spent six hours in meeting to discuss the suspension and what to do going forward. The board revealed its reasons for suspending Amolegbe, the report of which students criticized. Students claimed Amolegbe was unfairly targeted and was held to a higher standard than his peers, specifically then-Vice President Georgia Hulbert, who allegedly was neglecting office hours without reprimand.[2] Toward the end of the meeting, Amolegbe declared he would step down from his CEO role if the suspension was lifted. Some called in "honorable", and either an acknowledgement of wrongdoing or an effect of his "love" for SA. Others weren't swayed by his promise.
The vote needed two-thirds majority to pass. Eight members voted to lift the suspension, five voted against, and six abstained, causing the vote to fail, meaning Amolegbe's suspension was upheld.
Aftermath
Further details as to the outcome have currently been lost to time and/or may not have been fully resolved due to the university shutting down a month later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Reddit megathread was created to follow the details of the case, but no further updates have been provided.[3]. According to LinkedIn, Amolegbe was no longer president of SA as of September 2020 and is still involved with his company RAGE Boyz.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2020/02/sa-president-suspended-due-to-deal-with-rapper-according-to-board-of-directors-member
- ↑ https://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2020/02/student-association-presidents-fate-in-limbo-after-six-hour-meeting-board-of-directors-planning-meeting-to-further-discuss
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/UBreddit/comments/hgf4gg/reinstatement_of_sa_president_and_suspension_of/
- ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/yamolegbe/