Dismissed SGA cabinet member accuses the organization of racism
Editor’s Note: Riona Sheikh is a former freelance writer for The Black Explosion
Mofi Solarin, former co-director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee of the University of Maryland’s Student Government Association, made public comments about the Nov. 4 altercation that led to her firing. Solarin alleged the actions against her are indicative of racism in the SGA’s ranks.
Solarin was given the opportunity to comment at Wednesday’s general body meeting, during the debate surrounding calls for the impeachment of SGA’s President Dhruvak Mirani.
In an email sent to the SGA legislature on Nov. 18 obtained by The Black Explosion, Solarin alleged that the altercation and her termination “weaponized stereotypes about Black women being ‘aggressive.’”
“The sequence of events and the broader semester-long pattern reflects a culture where my reactions are scrutinized while the provocations against me are minimized or ignored,” she stated in the email.
The statement refers to a Nov. 4 altercation between Solarin and Mateo Rojas, the co-director of the SGA’s Research and Technology committee. Mirani notified Solarin of her dismissal via email on Nov. 11, alleging that her actions during the altercation violated SGA policy.
“I dismissed a member of SGA’s cabinet for egregious misconduct, which is my responsibility as student body president,” Mirani said in a statement to The Black Explosion.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the legislature successfully passed a motion to open an investigation on Mirani with eight legislators voting for, five against and 13 abstaining.
First year representative and member of the DEI committee Alina Urena advocated for the impeachment, citing the failure to mediate the situation between Solarin and Rojas as one of the main contributors.
“It just sets a precedent that he won’t be able to effectively manage not just conflict in SGA, but the SGA itself,” she said.
Executive Vice President Riona Sheikh found out about the dismissal through Solarin.
“I think the vast majority of us in the SGA were very shocked and unhappy when we saw that she was dismissed and that anything she said about racism wasn’t taken seriously by certain individuals,” Sheikh said. “It felt like SGA members on the whole were basically being told, this is what happened, and [Solarin] was wrong, [Rojas] was right.”
The following account takes from Solarin’s testimony at Wednesday’s meeting, separate interviews with Solarin and her co-director Amyah Davis conducted by The Black Explosion, as well as an email sent by Solarin to the SGA legislature obtained by The Black Explosion.
Andrey Chernyak, a neuroscience major and the organization’s computer, mathematics, and natural sciences representative, backed Solarin’s claims. Chernyak witnessed the initial verbal altercation between Solarin and Rojas.
“I’ve known Mofi for months and I know she doesn’t lie,” Sheikh said in a statement to The Black Explosion. “I’ve never had issues with her being aggressive or angry.”
Rojas said in a statement to The Black Explosion, “What was stated is a tremendous mischaracterization of the events that occurred. University officials are taking all appropriate steps in addressing the matter, and given a review of firsthand accounts and provided evidence, are moving the process forward.”
SOLARIN’S ACCOUNT
On Nov. 4, Solarin, a junior biomedical engineering major, visited the Student Involvement Suite in Stamp to print documents for the DEI committee. According to Sheikh, Solarin was one of three Black executive board members.
According to Solarin, she entered the SGA office to print out papers and was having some trouble. Chernyak decided to assist her in printing out documents as he was working at the Student Organization Resource Center front desk. When Chernyak also experienced trouble with the printer, Solarin took a seat and closed her eyes on one of three couches in the room.
“I just got back from work, so I had closed my eyes and was kind of…in a meditative state,” Solarin said in an interview.
Rojas and Priya Tyagi, Research and Technology committee co-directors, approached Solarin, and notified her that a committee meeting would be held soon, she said.
Solarin said that Rojas told her that they needed space for committee members attending the meeting.
According to Sheikh, there are four members including the two directors in the committee. Solarin told The Black Explosion that there were six SGA members present in the meeting room.
In the Nov. 18 email, Solarin wrote that though Chernyak was still attempting to print the papers in the same room, Solarin was the only one approached.
“Their connotation was clear from the start, we don’t want you here. There’s no space for you specifically,” Solarin said.
However, in the email, Solarin stated that Tyagi said, “We just didn’t want you to fall asleep while we’re having a committee.”
Following this, Solarin said that Rojas and Taryn Reinhart, director of student affairs, exited SORC to get lunch. Solarin said she also left to pick up her finished papers from the Stamp front desk, leaving her bag on a piece of furniture.
When she returned, Solarin said she noticed that her bag was on the floor next to Basil Chase, the Heritage community representative.
“I quietly clarify, like, ‘Oh yeah, you put my bag on the floor.’ Very quickly, very briefly, very passive. Like, not passive aggressive, more, like…to kind of clarify why I was next to them,” Solarin said.
According to Solarin, Rojas immediately asked, “What did you say?”
Solarin clarified to Rojas that she wasn’t speaking to him. In the email to the legislature, Solarin quotes Rojas as saying she was “not allowed to speak to his legislator during his committee.”
Solarin provided two contradicting accounts about the start time of the meeting. In an interview with The Black Explosion on Nov. 9, she stated the meeting hadn’t started when she returned. In the email sent to the legislature and during the Wednesday meeting, she said that the meeting started when she returned.
On all accounts, Solarin asserts that she was not disrupting the meeting because they are open to the public.
Later in the altercation, when Solarin realized Chase was sitting in her seat, she said she attempted to find another one. That is when Rojas, from his seat, shoved another chair into Solarin’s path.
“Essentially, like forcing me to be face to face with him, even though I was walking past him,” she said.
She said that when she asked Rojas to move his seat, he responded with “Say please.”
Solarin said that when she asked again, he repeated, “Say please.”
By her account, this was the third time within the hour that there was a conflict.
Solarin said that she grabbed the arm of the chair in an effort to sit on the couch. She said that Rojas responded with claims that she was getting physical. As a result, Rojas stated he would report her to Ethics, Solarin stated in the email.
According to SGA bylaws, the Ethics and Accountability Committee holds members accountable and fosters an environment of respect. The voting members of the committee are anonymous to all staff except for the SGA president, vice president [who heads the committee], the speaker pro tempore, the parliamentarian and the SGA advisor.
Solarin said she did not take the threat seriously and thought he was intentionally pushing her buttons.
She said she challenged Rojas to report her. Solarin said that Rojas responded with a reference to the last time she was reported to ethics, further commenting that it did not go well.
In the interview, Solarin admitted to blowing up at Rojas at this time, asking him to leave her alone. Around this point, he began to audio-record her.
“He did the sneaky thing where he essentially baited me, waited ‘til I was mad, then caught up to his camera and then started recording,” she said.
Eventually, she said, Mirani entered the room and stepped in between the two. He tried de-escalating the situation and by a certain point, Solarin claimed he said, “Mateo, get behind me.”
Solarin said that Mirani moved Rojas to his office while the two were still arguing. While this was occurring, Davis, Solarin’s co-director, received a message on Slack from a fellow SGA member who was in SORC at the time.
The message read, “hey are you on campus, Mofi needs some help in the SGA office.” Davis responded with “I’m comin.” The SGA member then replied with “If we could just escort Mofi out of the SGA office, it’s a standoff.”
However, at the legislative general body meeting on Wednesday, Solarin said that Rojas was escorted out of the office by Stamp officials.
“I feel like if you’re provoking me, you have to continue talking to me,” she said at Wednesday’s meeting. “You can’t just provoke me and then play the victim.”
A HISTORY OF CONFLICT
Solarin’s email to the legislature detailed prior conflicts between herself and Rojas.
On Sept. 21, at an SGA executive cabinet breakout session during a retreat, Solarin stated that she would be “moving away” from Hispanic Heritage Month. She reasoned that planning would pass Oct. 15– the end of Hispanic Heritage month.
Rojas, who identifies as Hispanic, questioned the decision. He allegedly described her tone as “aggressive” when she explained the logistical concerns.
Solarin was notified by Mirani, who claimed the remarks she shared singled out Rojas and another cabinet member, Joe Diaz, and made some SGA members uncomfortable. Based on Slack screenshots obtained by The Black Explosion, Mirani encouraged bringing up conflicts privately after meetings. Solarin responded by saying, “I will be following up with ethics.”
According to the email, another incident occurred when the DEI Committee proposed support with a DEI survey. Many executives questioned the necessity of the survey topic, with Rojas allegedly questioning the purpose of the committee’s work. Rojas did not react in this way when other directors requested survey support on different issues, according to the email.
Solarin also alleged that Rojas has “stared at me or monitored me in ways I did not initially notice but others did.”
Solarin closed the email to the legislature with the following:
“Despite the multiple instances in which Mateo initiated conflict, inserted himself into conversations, and weaponized stereotypes about Black women being ‘aggressive,’ I was removed from SGA while he faced no consequences.”
AFTERMATH
On Nov. 5, Solarin attended a general body meeting for SGA, where a police officer was present. Davis noted that this was unusual for a general body meeting.
“The police [are] only present if it’s requested or if we have a big event where we need police presence,” Davis said.
The Stamp director did not respond to a request for comment on police presence at the time of publication.
According to Solarin, the Office of Student Conduct notified her the same day of an investigation Rojas opened against her. Solarin claimed someone also contacted other authorities following the altercation.
“I got a call from the police about someone making a report against me,” Solarin said.
According to Solarin, Rojas took out two no-contact orders against Solarin, one through the university and another through the police department. The order prevents Solarin from directly speaking to or about Rojas.
A few days after the altercation, the incident gained attention on YikYak.
“Girl verbally abuses ppl and gets physically aggressive, she starts making death threats and then gets fired for it,” one user wrote on YikYak, the second half in reference to an Instagram note Solarin posted.
The note read “and it WILL be on sight tomorrow tell him!”
According to Collins Dictionary, “on sight” refers to acting “without delay.” It often implies but does not inherently mean a violent interaction. Solarin defended her language choice.
“I don’t know if you guys are conversant in AAVE. When I said that, I meant that when I see you, we are going to continue the conversation,” Solarin said at Wednesday’s meeting. “You can’t run away from something you started. That was the intended meaning.”
Solarin also responded to allegations that she brandished a firearm at Rojas.
“There is no gun,” she said at Wednesday’s meeting. “That was just fabrication.”
By Nov. 11, Solarin received an email from Mirani notifying her of her dismissal. Mirani claimed that Solarin egregiously violated provisions in the SGA Accountability and Ethics handbook that forbid members from singling out other members, disrespectful behavior, making members uncomfortable and violating the university’s student honor code.
The day after her termination, on Nov. 12, Solarin and Davis attended SGA’s weekly general body meeting, where Davis said she would not be sharing a comment in protest of Solarin’s termination. Solarin could not share a representative comment at the meeting due to her dismissal.
COMMENTS FROM SGA
According to multiple SGA members, Rojas spoke before the SGA legislature in a closed session during Wednesday’s meeting.
Vice President Sheikh has listened to the recording captured by Rojas during the altercation and told The Black Explosion his comments during the closed session did not fully match what she heard.
“It was very clear that Mofi was not aggressive or yelling at the start of the fight, and there was definitely instigation that led to her becoming upset,” she said. “What Mateo said honestly just made Mofi seem like she was in the right, in my opinion.”
“Rojas had seen himself as being more of like a target of harassment and somebody who was acting reasonably, who had never really stepped out of bounds,” the public policy representative, Gavin Neubauer, said.
For him the firing was indicative of a failure by the SGA as an institution.
“For one, our whole organization failed. We failed to take any action in a timely manner that would have prevented the conflict from escalating,” Neubauer said. “We failed Mofi, who not only faced all the punishment from the organization, but also found really no kind of equal justice administered to the other side.”
Laura Charleston, Koree Perry and Madeline Seck contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that members of the SGA Ethics and Accountability Committee were anonymous, with only the vice president knowing the committee members and misstated Taryn Reinhart’s SGA position. This article has been updated.
EDITORS’ NOTE: A previous version of this article included the name of an SGA member who has since requested anonymity due to safety concerns. Their name has been removed. No other details of the story were changed.