UG: We were not invited – Fmr SRC Prez on recent UGSRC handing-over event

Radio Univers
Radio Univers
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The University of Ghana’s 67th SRC handing-over ceremony has recently stirred up controversy, with the outgoing SRC President, Frank Tsikata, revealing that his team was not invited to the event.

Speaking to Universnews, Tsikata expressed frustration over the lack of clear communication from the university regarding the SRC handing-over ceremony.

He expressed that the abrupt notice ending their tenure left the outgoing executives feeling sidelined as they watched the ceremony proceed without them, convincing them that their presence was no longer needed.

“We received the initial instruction to swear them in and informed you that we were consulting the university’s legal counsel, who advised us to wait for a response. However, no response arrived. Then, we received a letter stating that our tenure had expired and that we should hand over our keys and belongings, which we did. After that, there was no further communication. Now, we see another swearing-in ceremony taking place. Given that we were informed our tenure had expired, it seems we’re no longer needed.”

“The dean’s office will handle everything, so we just need to hand over the keys. No one called us so we do not have to go there.”

Tsikata added that despite their attempts to follow university protocol including communication with the Dean of Student Affairs and the legal counsel their efforts were disregarded. This ultimately led to an official directive for his team to hand over office keys and SRC assets by a specified deadline.

“On October 18th, we received another letter from the Dean’s office instructing us to hand over all SRC documents, assets, and the keys to the SRC Union building office to the Dean’s office by 4 p.m. on Monday, October 21st. The letter stated that any further matters concerning the SRC would be handled by the Dean of Student Affairs, as our tenure as executives had expired. Yes, we were a bit taken aback, but it’s just one of those things.”

He further raised concerns that misinformation circulated online, suggesting the outgoing executives were reluctant to hand over the office for financial gain.

“It’s disheartening to see articles from TV3 and other radio stations suggesting that we refused to hand over because we intended to make a profit of 100,000 cedis from the new executives.”

“Unfortunately, we noticed members of the transition team from the elected executives sharing this narrative. But throughout the process, we kept them informed. We told them the situation, made them aware that we had written to the Dean, and assured them they’d be kept in the loop.”

“For them to go as far as having their team members spread these claims, despite knowing the full context, is quite disturbing.”

Reflecting on the incident, Tsikata encouraged the incoming executives to remember that SRC positions are temporary and emphasized the importance of making the most of their time in office.

”My advice to them is that the SRC is a temporary role, you come, and you go. You won’t be there forever, so whatever you do, time is not going to be on your side.”

Story by: Joycelyn Glory | univers.ug.edu.gh

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