Emory students vote that they don’t have confidence in university president

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — After a week of protests on Emory University’s campus, the undergraduate student body has held a vote of no confidence in President Gregory Fenves’ leadership.

For days, students and faculty have been calling for Fenves’ resignation over his handling of the protests over the ongoing Israel-Hamas.

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According to a statement from university officials, the referendum vote passed by 73% to 25%.

Less than half of the undergraduate student body cast a vote. Officials say 3,401 of the 8,102 eligible students participated in the Student Government Association vote.

University officials say that, in total, 31% of the student body voted in favor of the motion.

Last week, the faculty of the Emory University College of Arts & Sciences passed a similar motion by a vote of 358-119.

The faculty who participated in the vote of no confidence are also demanding that all charges be dropped and the university pay for all legal fees. It’s unclear if this only applies to Emory students and faculty.

REALTED STORIES:

• Students, faculty call for resignation of Emory President following police crackdown on protestors
• Emory Police issue warnings amid vandalism on campus over weekend
• At least 28 arrested after protesters set up encampments on Emory University campus
• Chair of Emory University Philosophy Department among dozens arrested during on-campus protest

The full statement from Emory University, shared on Wednesday evening, read:

Today, the Emory Student Government Association (SGA) shared that Emory undergraduate students passed a referendum expressing no confidence in President Fenves’ leadership. Such votes are non-binding and are determined by a simple majority of those who vote.

3,401 of the 8,102 undergraduate students eligible to vote in the referendum chose to do so (42%). Of those who voted, 2,499 voted in favor of the motion (73%), 844 voted against it (25%), and 58 abstained (2%).

31% of the total undergraduate student body voted for in favor of the motion. While we take any concerns expressed by members of our community seriously, Emory community members are sharing a wide range of perspectives that are not reflected in the motion passed by SGA.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the Emory Student Government Association for a statement, but has not heard back.

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