Grand Valley State University’s Student Senate Executive Vice President Andrew Nurmi filed his resignation at a Cabinet meeting Sunday, Sept. 15. The resignation comes just months after his appointment earlier this year.

While the resignation leaves a hole in the Student Senate’s Cabinet, President Eric-John Szczepaniak and Vice President for Public Relations Ryan Fritz said they encourage their members to be “students before student senators.”

“We would like to thank Andrew Nurmi for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Szczepaniak and Fritz said in a press release published Sept. 15. “We recognize that the task of being a student senator, as well as being tasked with other academic commitments can sometimes be detrimental to one’s own health and we will always prioritize the health of the entire student body in our work.”

Szczepaniak and Fritz said they are now working to create a smooth transition within Student Senate.

Nurmi declined to comment on his resignation.

Senate is now in a state of limbo, with the Executive Vice President position yet to be filled. During the Thursday, Sept. 19 general assembly, the body successfully nominated senators Kelly Dowker and Lansing Sánchez-Castillo to run for the position, with the potential for more nominations during their next meeting. Fritz was nominated for the position as well, but declined, noting he feels more passionate about his current role.

The nominees will participate in the usual election proceedings, which includes five-minute speeches, a question and answer segment and general body discussion.