Student Body President Nathaniel Rodefer and Vice-President Joshua Murry faced repercussions in July for unapproved operation changes made to Lend-A-Wing — the University of North Florida’s food pantry — according to public records released by the Student Government Office of the Judiciary.

The Lend-A-Wing Pantry was an initiative created under SG to help combat food insecurity among the UNF community. Through anonymous donations, students are able to visit Lend-A-Wing in the Student Union and receive items, including food, hygiene supplies and some school supplies.

“There is a limit of 3 Quick Fix, 3 Meals, 8 Veggies, 5 Snacks, 4 Breakfast, 4 Soups, 3 Specials and 3 Drinks per student, per day,” reads the pantry’s current policies.

Lend-A-Wing implemented an unapproved policy that only allowed one snack and one drink, according to records. The pantry’s policies haven’t changed since 2019, as stated by SG records.

The documents released to Spinnaker do not name who specifically made the change and when exactly it was made, but the executive branch is responsible for Lend-A-Wing.

During a hearing on July 27, it was established that Rodefer delegated the responsibility of the Lend-A-Wing pantry to Murry. 

“The supervision and regulation of the Agencies is the responsibility of the President, who may delegate the responsibility to the Vice President,” states Chapter 1101.2 of Title XI of the Lend-A-Wing Policies and Procedures.

Therefore, the court decided that Murry held the most responsibility out of all the executive branch members for its “noncompliance,” according to the Judicial Decision. 

Murry claimed he was “not made aware of nor present” for the meeting where the change in responsibility took place, although he approved the changes after the fact, according to the documents released to Spinnaker.

However, the court did not believe that ignorance excuses being out of compliance, and Murry was given a two-week suspension from his duties plus a verbal reprimand before the Senate, according to Judicial Decision JD-22SB-005.

Vice-President Murry was suspended from his duties for an additional week after he failed to appear before the court on July 19 when subpoenaed, according to the Judiciary Office. Murry allegedly confirmed he would be at the hearing but did not show up, despite being given a 30-minute grace period to appear, wrote the Judiciary Office. 

“While I respect the integrity of the Judicial Branch and Student Government as a whole, I am very disappointed with decisions made on the part of the judiciary pertaining to my case,” Murray wrote in an email statement to Spinnaker. “Ultimately, I will continue to review our policies and to ensure that we are all upholding the standards that are set fourth to us by the students that we serve.”

In a separate hearing on July 19, the court determined that Rodefer was still responsible for Lend-A-Wing, although less than Murry. 

Outlined in the pantry’s policies, all members of Lend-A-Wing must comply, and any violation of those policies will be the responsibility of the organization’s members, officers and advisor. Rodefer was subsequently found to be out of compliance with these policies. 

“The Student Government President must pay more attention to all Student Government documentation, including the Lend-A-Wing Policies and Procedures, as well as closely monitor the operation of all agencies,” the court wrote in Judicial Decision JD-22SB-002.

Rodefer did not respond to either of Spinnaker’s two requests for comment. 

Overall, President Rodefer served an SG court-ordered week of community service at Lend-A-Wing that began on Aug. 1, and Vice-President Murry was suspended from his duties for a total of three weeks, according to documents.

Although these events took place in late June and July, Spinnaker did not receive the public records revealing this information until Aug. 30. Spinnaker originally requested them from SG on July 13. 

The records also included that Murry petitioned to appeal the Judicial Decisions made related to JC-22S-002 and JD-22SB-005 on the grounds that, “the punishment of the court is excessive and disproportionate to the actual offense committed.”

However, the final outcome of this appeal was not included in the documents Spinnaker received. Other members of the executive branch were brought before the court to determine their fault, but only Rodefer and Murry were found in violation. 

View all of the Judicial Complaints and Judicial Decisions regarding Lend-A-Wing here.

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