SGA President reinstated after arrest

By Alexa Epitropoulos | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Student Government Association President David Arreola has been reinstated after a two-week investigation conducted by Student Services into his December arrest.

Arreola, who was suspended indefinitely on Jan. 14, resumed his role as president in February. The investigation began once it was revealed that Arreola had been charged with a DUI in the early morning of Dec. 24. The charges against Arreola are still ongoing, with a pre-trial conference set for March 17.

Still, Arreola has widespread support from students, faculty members and other members of the SGA executive board.

Arreola said that the investigation was difficult for everyone involved, especially due to the lack of precedent. Arreola is the first SGA official who has faced suspension in recent years and the first president to face possible removal since 2007.

“In my experience and everyone else’s experience that’s currently sitting on SGA, no president, officer or chair has ever had to deal with a suspension before,” Arreola said. “I think that added a lot to the shock and confusion.”

The suspension was also difficult for fellow executive board members, including Eddie Oinonen, SGA vice president, who took over as acting president during Arreola’s suspension.

“If there’s one thing that truly inspired me throughout this whole trip it was Eddie’s professionalism,” Arreola said. “I told him I was so proud of the work he did. The whole executive board kept the team strong.”

Although Arreola declined to comment on his arrest, he said the investigation was a learning experience and one that he will apply during the rest of his term.

“There’s another side to student leadership, which is that it’s a burden. There are instances when you’re going to have to carry that worry,” Arreola said. “That was something I think I recognized when I was running, but it was a burden I wanted to carry. I don’t think I understood what that burden meant until now.”