Scandal adds spice to Salsa Soc
Two key Salsa Society committee members, treasurer and secretary, resigned last Friday following tensions within the committee, particularly over a failure to organise the annual Salsa Ball.
Suraya Jina, who has just resigned her position as treasurer, told The OxStu that President Marc Vinson "has completely ruined the society". She contends he "has been disorganised and has misspent funds", for example "purchasing a £500 stereo for Salsa classes that can't even play CDs". As a result, she continues, the society's "flagship event", the Salsa Ball, will not be taking place as a result of a lack of both money and time. Suraya states: "he must ultimately take responsibility and he must stop hiding behind the committee".
Lucy Marx, the recently resigned Secretary, was unavailable for comment, although friend and former President Michael Ramyar suggests her resignation was a product of "personal family problems" and the "general climate of the committee". Suraya attributes this to the "imperious leadership style" of Vinson, and says: "we don't want to be part of a committee in which bad decisions are made by this dictator".
Vinson declined to comment on "individuals' personal reasons for resigning", but asserts the committee's remaining members "will continue to move forward". He denied personal responsibility, telling The OxStu: "any allocation of funding was made by a committee of individuals". He argues the amount requested by the Randolph "would have wiped out the account even if nothing was spent over the term". There was not time to find another venue, which he blames partly on the lack of preparation done by the previous committee.
Vinson said: "the choice to not have a ball saddened everyone involved on the committee... it was like a mother telling a young, impressionable child that he can't go to a party with his friends that are twice his age... in retrospect, years down the road, he realises that her decision kept him from veering off the road into a ditch."
A Salsa Party will take place instead, while a vote of no confidence in the President is on the agenda for the next committee meeting.
27th May 2004