Abdullah Jaber, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) vice-president (student life), announced his resignation earlier today ahead of the association’s 2019 elections.

In a post made on his Instagram account, Jaber stated he has accepted an offer to study chiropractic medicine at a university in New Zealand.

“Thank you Carleton for giving me the one thing I’ve been asking for my whole life—opportunity,” he said in the post, adding he will begin his degree in New Zealand in two weeks.

According to CUSA president David Oladejo, Jaber could not defer his acceptance due to the academic calendar in universities in New Zealand differing from those in North America.

Universities in New Zealand follow a four-semester schedule that begin an academic year in early February and end in Mid-December.

Oladejo said this situation has put the association in a “unique position” since CUSA elections are taking place earlier this year.

“By the end of January, the incoming vice-president (student life) will be determined by the students so it’s something we think we can work into their transition,” he said.

“The plan is to absorb Jaber’s role with the vice-president (finance) Luke Taylor and myself, the president, for the rest of the semester,” Oladejo said, “but we’ll be presenting that to councillors and see what they think of that.”

“Because the vice-president (student life) executive role is quite heavy in the fall semester and not so much in the winter semester, other executives are able to support that role easier right now,” he said.

Jaber will officially announce his resignation to council as per the association’s bylaws at a meeting held tonight at 6 p.m.

More to come.

Photo by Temur Durrani