Undergraduate Student Government President Greg Scharine announced his resignation Sunday night, and he has removed himself from the Tommie Award race after a self-described “error in judgment and an act of immaturity and impulse.”

USG’s Vice President junior Mike Orth will be taking over as the council’s president and was sworn in at the meeting.

“I believe in the integrity and privilege this award and leadership position represents and feel that this is the right thing to do,” Scharine said in his apology letter.

Under an “extreme amount of stress,” Scharine said that he lost his temper, which led to a reaction resulting in damage to another St. Thomas student’s property.

“I make no excuses for my actions and take full responsibility for the damage resulting from my actions,” Scharine said.

USG President Mike Orth talks about his goals for the spring semester. (Hannah Anderson/TommieMedia)

Scharine said that he has worked to amend his wrongdoings with the other student.

“My greatest hope is that you will acknowledge my remorse and reflection in this decision and forgive me,” Scharine said. “It is my wish that I am able to grow from this experience and continue to give back to the school that has given me so much.”

Orth said that it’s tough to see a good friend drop out of USG but is excited for the new opportunity.

“It’s certainly exciting for me,” Orth said. “It’s something I’ve wanted for awhile. I think it’ll be a great way to get to know a lot more about campus and to really work for the student body.”

Vice President of Administration Ben Schmitz also resigned from his position before the start of spring semester.

Orth said that Schmitz’s resignation was not related to what happened with Scharine.

With multiple executive board positions open, USG will hold special elections at its retreat on Saturday, Feb. 11, to fill these positions for the rest of the academic year. These positions are open to any St. Thomas junior or senior.

USG has also put together an amendment to add a Chief of Staff position to its executive board this semester.

Orth said that the position serves as a middleman between the USG executive board and council members and will make for a more efficient running of the organization.

“I think, especially with my new job as president, I have to make sure I know what’s going on at USG,” Orth said. “So when anybody asks me about any event or anything that anybody is doing, I need to know what everybody’s working on.”

Orth said that he hopes to pass the amendment at USG’s spring retreat.

Junior Class President Collin Kearney also discussed the campus signage initiative at Sunday’s meeting.

The initiative is in its beginning stages and would involve a system of signs that label buildings and provide maps of the St. Paul campus.

Briggs LeSavage can be reached at lesa4364@stthomas.edu.