By Zoe Kaufmann
kaufmann2@grinnell.edu
Mira Tellegen ’22 abruptly resigned from her position as chair of the Student Publications and Radio Committee (SPARC) on Thursday. The committee oversees the budgets of a number of publications including The Grinnell Review, KDIC, the Grinnell Underground Magazine and The B&S, as well as The S&B.
In a resignation letter sent to the publications overseen by SPARC, Tellegen wrote that Tim Knight ’22, the SPARC Treasurer, would fill her position until the committee decides how to proceed, “as there is no determined process” for these circumstances. Assistant Treasurer Lily Aydt ’22 will step into the treasurer role.
A constitution on SPARC’s website indicates that the “SPARC Chair will be replaced by the previous vice-chair,” who is elected by the student body. SPARC has not held elections for the vice-chair this school year, instead filling the vice-chair and assistant treasurer positions through a hiring process in September. Fernando Rodriguez ’22 is the SPARC vice-chair.
“The Constitution does lay out a process for who should go next to take her place, which is typically the vice-chair, but the vice-chair doesn’t have any training in SPARC,” said Adams. “So the committee has made the decision that Tim is stepping into that position, just because of the amount of knowledge that Tim has regarding SPARC and because Tim and Mira worked extremely closely on the guiding and governance of SPARC.”
Tellegen declined to comment for this article. Knight did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
