On the same week, on May 7, 2012, another student organization, Aggies For Israel, released a statement endorsing the US-Israel relationship. This endorsement included many Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) representatives’ names and titles, stating their support of the statement’s message.
My name, Rebecca Sterling, and my title, ASUCD President, both appeared on the statement. However, I will make no statement of my personal beliefs or my position on the issues of the Middle East. An inherent result of the elected title I hold is that it is my primary responsibility to represent my position and not my personal opinions.
I am writing to express my disappointment in the use of the ASUCD titles in this statement. It is strictly against our Association’s policy for any representative to use their title for political endorsements.
As such, I would like to extend my sincerest apology to all members of our community who were affected by this statement. ASUCD representatives may not use their titles for political endorsements and I will hold myself accountable for the failure in communication that resulted in the inappropriate use of these titles. Since the incident, these titles have been removed and all individuals involved have been addressed.
As an Association, we do not directly take any political stance on particular student movements and ongoing international issues. We do encourage the freedom of expression of all groups and do hope to provide a safe environment on our campus for all opinions to be expressed.
Again, I am terribly sorry for any pain or detriment that may have resulted from this incident. I am proud to be a member of a student body that is so well-informed and active in ongoing international politics and look forward to much more discourse on these critical issues.
Rebecca Sterling
ASUCD President
