Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will continue to be updated. This story was updated on Monday at 7:36 p.m. Emily Roberts could not be reached for comment. 

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Thursday at 11:15 a.m. to include an interview with former Student Body President Jacob Ludwig.

Emily Roberts, who was sworn in as student body president in April, has resigned from the position just two weeks before the beginning of the fall semester due to personal reasons. 

Additionally, Vice President Jennifer Holliday told the Daily that Roberts would not return to campus this fall and that she became aware of the situation two weeks ago. 

In accordance with their Constitution, Holliday will become the 71st student body president and be sworn in “as soon as possible.” 

“I do believe that we are going to be able to successfully prepare ourselves for the school year that we’ll be starting here in two weeks,” Holliday said. “Between coming to Ames, I have been doing meetings consistently and looking into any knowledge that I needed to further gain for myself, as well as for the students and the rest of the senators within student government.”

In an interview with the Daily on Thursday, the Iowa State Student Government President during the 2022-23 academic year, Jacob Ludwig, would not comment on the circumstances regarding the resignation but said it was “the right choice for Emily” and the “best outcome for Student Government.”

“I’ve been working with Jennifer since we suspected that this might be the outcome to transition her into this role and prepare her for it,” Ludwig said. “I have complete confidence that she will serve the campus very well.”

Ludwig also said he would endorse their campaign again today despite the circumstances he has become aware of. 

“The things that they ran on were the right issues that we needed to tackle in the upcoming year,” Ludwig said. “I think that, you know, obviously, it’s unfortunate that this is how the term has developed this far. But I still think that those are the right issues for the moment.”

Holliday has nominated the Speaker of the Senate Quinn Margrett to become the 74th student body vice president and said the “right individual with the right experience” could make the governmental transition process “a lot smoother.”

“Ultimately, it came down to looking at who I felt was going to be able to step in right away into this position because we are clearly transitioning later in the year than it is typical for student government,” Holliday said. 

At the beginning of the first senate meeting of the fall semester, Holliday will “recognize this transition and outline goals for the remainder of the term,” according to the press release.

“When Emily and I were campaigning together, we had a platform of 12 goals that we shared around campus to all of the students that we presented with and posted on our social media accounts,” Holliday said. “I still plan to drive forward and accomplishing as many of those platform points as possible.”

According to a post on their campaign Instagram page, the 12 goals are: 

• Implement an Ames Safe World Program
• Create a task force for student organizational rights
• Improve Canvas to allow edited display names
• Include students to the Undergraduate Academic Advising Council
• Innovate an open-seat notification system
• Create a syllabus bank
• Include sexual assault prevention programming in first-year courses
• Increase on-campus recycling compactors
• Empower students to vote in local, state and federal elections
• Improve community-based counseling
• Innovate a campus accessibility map into MyState
• Advocate for the addition of a fall break

Holliday encouraged students to reach out with any questions, comments or concerns through [email protected] or during the upcoming semester at the West Student Office Space in the Memorial Union.