Editor’s note: This article, originally published on July 20 at 5:25 p.m., was updated on July 21 at 4:52 p.m. to include Vladyslav Bondarchuk’s comments.
Vladyslav Bondarchuk, NAITSA’s vice-president external, has resigned from his position after taking office May 1. NAITSA officially announced Bondarchuk’s resignation on July 17 after Bondarchuk informed the public in a LinkedIn post the evening of July 16.
“Serving NAIT students as Vice President External has been an incredible honour and a meaningful experience,” wrote Bondarchuk on LinkedIn. “Due to personal circumstances, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position.” Bondarchuk wrote that he is “deeply grateful” to those who supported him and said he is proud to have represented students despite his term as VP external being “shorter than [he] had anticipated.”
The VP external oversees relationships and advocacy with external bodies, including local governments. Bondarchuk told the Nugget that he wants to continue building a career in public service and wants to expand his opportunities beyond NAITSA, a non-partisan organization.
“When I was in this role, I honestly didn’t know what I want to do in this life,” Bondarchuk told the Nugget. “And I realized that maybe being a politician, that’s what I must be in the future. And I just want to contribute more in different political parties.”
“As NAITSA says, we are non-partisan, so unfortunately I cannot do what I want to do. That is why I resigned … to have more opportunities and kind of be free,” he explains. “I was between either staying here, getting more experience, or actually leave and start acting.”
Bondarchuk’s decision unexpected, but ‘entirely [his] own’
NAITSA president Lilly Houcher says the executive council team faced minor communication issues with a newly elected member serving alongside re-elected execs, but that before a week ago, there were no indicators that Bondarchuk may leave the position.
“It had been official with the executive director in writing,” Houcher told the Nugget. She says the team wanted to give Bondarchuk “some breathing room” before making an official announcement, but Bondarchuk’s LinkedIn post caught some NAITSA staff members by surprise. According to Bondarchuk, this was the only way to share his decision after being removed from internal NAITSA communications.
Despite the resignation being unexpected to some staff, Houcher says “there’s not much more to share.”
“We really hadn’t been together too much,” Houcher says, explaining that three out of four EC members, including Bondarchuk, had been on vacation or out of town during the period leading up to Bondarchuk’s announcement. “Ultimately, a resignation is their decision.”
Bondarchuk confirmed that the decision to resign was “entirely [his] own, and it was made after careful consideration of [his] personal circumstances and future priorities.”
NAITSA Senate to determine what happens next
President Houcher, VP academic Danielle Libunao and VP internal Teaira Current will cover the duties of VP external until a decision is made by the NAITSA Senate.
“I know the three of us will have to pick up different areas of that portfolio. One of us might be voted on as interim VP external, but honestly, it’s still so fresh that I don’t have the answer to all of those questions,” says Houcher.
“As of now, we’re waiting on our board to be elected. And then they’ll decide if there’ll be a by-election,” says Houcher.
Bondarchuk, a former NAITSA senator, was the only student to campaign for the VP external position and was elected last February with 79.4 per cent “yes” support from voters. From the 2022-23 through 2024-25 terms, the executive council has operated with three members instead of the usual four.
The 2024-25 executive council also spent the term without an official vice-president external. 2023-24 VP external Jenna Luczak, re-elected to the role in 2024-25, instead filled the president position after the NAITSA Senate voted unanimously to remove 2024-25 president-elect Travis Luscombe.
The NAITSA Senate, which will be elected by students in October, will address what is to be done about the vacant 2026-27 VP external position in accordance with NAITSA’s bylaws.
If there is a by-election, Houcher encourages students to get involved and stay informed.
“We really are looking for and wanting excited students to be involved in student government. I think all the positions had less candidates than we would be hoping for this last election,” she says. “As a team, we’re wanting to ensure students know what these roles entail, the responsibility they carry, but also how awesome they are.”
“[VP external] is a really important role,” Bondarchuk says. “This role requires really great communication skills and a little bit of understanding in politics.”
Though he recommends a by-election so the position is filled, Bondarchuk will no longer be eligible for the VP external role. According to NAITSA bylaws, once a written resignation is submitted to the executive director, it is “considered final with no opportunity for reinstatement.”
“I wish the next vice-president external every success in the role,” says Bondarchuk.
Feature image via NAITSA
