Editor’s note: This post contains quotes from UPUA meeting minutes. Some of those quotes have been lightly edited to account for probable typos.

On Wednesday night, Rasha Elwakil was removed as UPUA’s president just eight days after she was sworn into her position. UPUA didn’t provide a reason for the removal after announcing the decision in the early hours of Thursday morning, and UPUA and several dozen of its members didn’t return requests for comment from Onward State.

However, meeting minutes from Wednesday night’s meeting provided to Onward State show what happened behind closed doors.

Elwakil was removed after a secret vote by UPUA members. The measure needed 75% of those in attendance to vote for it, and the measure passed by 76%. The final count was 28 yes votes, eight no votes, and one individual abstaining.

E Saba, a representative from the MENA Caucus, which represents students from Middle Eastern & North African regions, made the initial motion for Elwakil’s removal.

“She reached out to hash out any bygones, until we brought up problems and she blamed others once we brought up mistakes,” Saba said, according to meeting minutes. “Claimed not to remember when I gave proof. During the debates, she took credit for events she had little to no involvement for including the women’s empowerment trip, disability alliance, narcan event, and several others. She deflected all of my responses and went the opposite direction after claiming to change. This is a lack of transparency, trust, and communication.”

Saba also said Elwakil had acted unprofessionally during meetings and wasn’t honest or transparent with other UPUA representatives. Ayden Meise, a College of Education representative, later agreed that Elwakil had acted unprofessionally, saying she was doing her makeup and spending time on her phone during meetings.

“This is a serious club. We handle money, sway power. We need to behave professionally. If our president is not, it reflects badly,” Meise said. “She works with admin. You want someone professional and who values everything we do here.”

Two representatives, Destiny Ochoa-Scott and Avery Landis, said Saba’s issues with Elwakil seemed personal. Saba said that mistakes from Elwakil’s past could reflect what she would do as president.

Dawson Glogau, an at-large representative, expressed concerns that Elwakil was being removed as a member of the 20th assembly for actions committed during past assemblies. Saba said Elwakil had taken four oaths as a UPUA member and that her vow toward the organization hadn’t changed.

While Elwakil had won a campus-wide election just weeks prior, the president of the Latino Caucus noted that UPUA had little background check on the candidates and that the vote, which was decided by a margin of 45 students, was close.

“University Park holds itself on inclusivity, how can we have a leader that skids under that? Having a president who works in this manner is the opposite of what they campaign? It diminishes the integrity of UPUA. Yes, this is just a club, but one that is in charge of big things. We hold a lot more power than the tea club, for example. If you ran for a position, you’re well aware of the rules, or you’re ultimately made aware of them,” Litzy Sandoval said. “Yes, she won the student body vote, but by a very close margin. She was allowed to run, but realistically, there are no background checks on people who run for positions in UPUA if you look at the bylaws.”

Several representatives argued that Elwakil deserved another chance to atone for her past mistakes. Those in favor of removal argued that Elwakil’s actions had been repeated over and over through the years.

“I’d like to thank the people who spoke out today,” Saba said. “I spoke to chairs, and others, and most people said they probably wouldn’t speak, and I respected that. I said if you don’t think these are grounds for removal, then I will not bring it up and take the blame for it. A lot of people ended up agreeing with me on my professional takes. Even people who haven’t spoken have very different issues with her. A person shouldn’t have to atone for their past. Everyone gets strikes, and there are forgiveness measures for bad actions. But I think we are past any strikes for Rasha.”

After Elwakil was allowed back into the room, she apologized for mistakes she made in the past, and pledged to improve. She repeatedly offered to sit down with representatives to hear their concerns and get to know them.

“I wanna make that change. I would love to just have a one-on-one with you. I’d love to get to hear about your Penn State story,” Elwakil said in response to a question from Meise.

“I want to be able to put things in the past and move forward. I just want to do better for you all and be approachable. I apologize that I haven’t done this well. I’ve been taking in feedback and developing an actionable plan. Even in the past, I’ve continued on with people who’ve given me feedback, VP [Fletcher] Port, for example. As I mature throughout life, I’ve been able to take feedback effectively,” Elwakil later said.

After Elwakil left the room for a final discussion among committee members, those in the room shared differing opinions. Some argued they felt uncomfortable giving Elwakil another chance, while others expressed dismay that the motion to remove Elwakil was being considered.

After the motion to remove Elwakil passed, the rest of the night’s agenda was scratched, and the room adjourned at 12:44 a.m.

“I deeply care about UPUA and all the students across Penn State,” Elwakil said in a statement to Onward State. “I joined the organization to advocate for the needs of those voices who often go unheard. At the end of the day, I will continue to advocate for student needs regardless of whatever position I hold. I wish everyone all the best, and I am here to still support all students!”

Since Elwakil’s removal, several student groups have spoken out. As of 11 p.m. on Thursday night, a Change.org petition that called for a review and possibly overturn of the impeachment proceedings had gathered more than 260 signatures. Three former UPUA executives criticized Wednesday’s decision in an Onward State editorial, and former chief justices did the same in a letter to the assembly.

The full meeting minutes, complete with many typos and a firm lack of punctuation, can be found below.