GPSA's council chairwoman resigned at Saturday's meeting.
Melanie Armstrong's resignation was read before the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
Armstrong oversaw the council's meetings. She collaborated with the executive board over the agenda for each meeting, deciding the amount of time spent on each item, and delegated who was able speak and for how long.
Armstrong stated in her letter that GPSA has "distilled into a flat and often hurtful environment."
Council members say Armstrong's resignation was shocking.
Joseph Garcia, president of the graduate student government, said Armstrong's decision might have been politically motivated.
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"The day before the meeting, she sent out an e-mail at lunchtime," he said. "It said, 'I'm not going to be able to attend. I've appointed Erin (McSherry) in my place.' And you know, it's just an inconvenience that it's at lunchtime on Friday. Then, we arrive at the meeting, and there's a letter of resignation sitting on the table, which was news to me. So, I don't know if that signals any kind of political maneuvering or - I don't know what kind of game playing is going on."
Armstrong did not return phone calls Sunday.
Former GPSA president Buckner Creel said Armstrong's resignation was not connected with the recall election.
About 280 students signed a petition in December, calling for the recall of Garcia.
They said they were angry with Garcia's failure to hire a three-quarter-time employee to work in the GPSA office as directed by the council.
The petition claims that Garcia did not get authorization from the council to hire two part-time employees to help run the office.
Armstrong may have accepted a job offer with Yellowstone National Park, Creel said.
"She's been a long-term Yellowstone parks employee, doing on-and-off seasonal work," he said. "I think that they offered her a professional opportunity there. I don't know the details of her receiving the job. It may have been short notice."
Armstrong appointed McSherry to direct Saturday's meeting.
McSherry's attempt to lead the meeting was met with opposition from the executive board over her right to substitute as council pro tem.
Isaac Padilla, chairman of the finance committee, said Armstrong had no right to appoint someone to act as council chairwoman or write an agenda without consulting the executive board.
"What happens is that the executive board meets with the council chair," he said. "We discuss what should go on the agenda and decide on new orders. This has not happened for the last three meetings. The last two meetings, she didn't even show up. This one she didn't consult with us or anything. She just mailed an agenda to everybody."
Jacob Gallegos, graduate student councilor for the law school, said Armstrong's resignation drove a rift in GPSA.
"I would have thought she would have went in and read the letter herself or something," he said. "The letter is one thing, but it's just that everything has been so crazy lately. It just doesn't seem very tactful of her."
Garcia said Armstrong's departure would bring much-needed change to the structure of GPSA meetings.
"I think yesterday's meeting is evidence of the change," he said. "We went through the entire agenda minus one item, which hasn't happened in the last year and a half because of the type of political maneuvering being done."
Garcia said that in prior meetings, Armstrong orchestrated a "manipulation of the council chair's position" by letting only certain council members speak and wasting time by allowing people to filibuster.
"Sometimes, hours were spent discussing a period, a comma or a phrase in terms of legislation or discussing an issue," he said. "People get fed up and tired. They leave, and we don't accomplish anything."
Garcia said the search for a chairperson to replace Armstrong will begin immediately.
"We'll send out an e-mail to the GPSA Listserv and to other Listservs calling for applicants, for people who are interested in being council chair to apply," he said. "The elections chair will elect the applications, will process them. And then, at the next meeting, I'll conduct or I'll administer the elections of the candidates to be presented, and the council can vote for the next council chair."
