M.P. Hassel
February 24, 2025
A battle for leadership and student representation has erupted within the Student Government Association (SGA) at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), as powers devoted to SGA President Frank Scales continue to dwindle.
Scales had been a vocal advocate for student representation on the Board of Trustees. His efforts culminated in the Board granting the SGA President an ex-officio, non-voting seat at its January 9 meeting. However, just weeks later, on January 30, SGA Vice President Angie Orozco reportedly led a unanimous no-confidence vote to remove or impeach Scales from his position. SGA President Scales has since refused to step down.
Every Board of Trustees meeting, including this February meeting, is preceded by an executive session among the college president Dr. Generals, various vice-presidents, and the mayor-appointed trustees, so they can calmly discuss their agenda over food and drink. Once the meeting opened to the public, students and members of the Faculty and Staff Federation of CCP, who sign up 24 hours prior to the meeting, are each given exactly two minutes to the second to deliver public comment.
For the first time Scales was seated at the table in the boardroom. Tensions simmered among other SGA members about whether Scales deserved to be there, given he was voted out.
SGA’s Administrative Advisor Jenavia Weaver and Faculty Advisor Dr. Jeffrey Markovitz stirred the simmering pot in emails sent out the day of the meeting. At 1:12pm, approximately two hours before the board meeting, Advisor Weaver sent an email to Advisor Markovitz quoting the Board of Trustee’s decision from a month earlier “to permit the College’s Student Government Association President to serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.”
In turn, Faculty Advisor Markovitz notified the entirety of SGA of the ongoing situation, writing in an email, “Frank has indicated that he will not step down despite promising to do so with the unanimous no confidence vote. That means he is still appointed to this board.” Markovitz has indicated that he will not step down as faculty advisor despite his own no-confidence vote in November.
He then added his encouragement for SGA members to attend the Board of Trustees meeting, stating, “If you would like to attend to articulate your objection to this, please do. If you would like to pursue impeachment as previously discussed, please let me know.”
Before the public comments commenced, members over Zoom complained about loud feedback. SGA Treasurer Maria Baez, attending the meeting for the first time in-person or over Zoom, both sat in the back and signed into the Zoom link without muting her microphone.
As public comments went on, with speeches from students about the student experience and from the Faculty and Staff Federation of CCP on the need for a resolution to the long-expired full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and classified staff contracts.
She requested a speaking position from the Treasurer of the Faculty and Staff Federation, Jamie Zigarelli, who graciously but unknowingly gave up his speaking slot to Baez to publicly challenge Scales’ legitimacy before the trustees. At the end of the public comments, Board Chair Harold Epps acknowledged Baez’s comments but urged SGA to handle its internal disputes independently.
SGA Treasurer Baez has used that Board of Trustees meeting and the Business Affairs Sub-Committee, which is meant to provide recommendations to the Board of Trustees, as spaces to object against Scales’ presidency in SGA. Students went on strike in 1970 to establish SGA and earn a shared governance model in standing committees with equal voting delegates each from the administration, the Faculty and Staff Federation, and the student body.
As many of these delegates were appointed by Scales earlier in the academic year, these spots are now being substituted with new SGA members.
1st Vice President Angie Orozco has been unanimously interviewing and nominating friends as new SGA members, including Danny Emdin as senator, Makayla Mignake as senator, and, as previously reported, Brayan Orozco as recording secretary.
Advisor Markovitz has also been working closely with Vice President Orozco to discuss proposed revisions to the SGA Constitution, including a one-year term limit for officers and a clause allowing the Dean of Students, Brad Kovaleski, to remove officers for conduct deemed “detrimental to the college.” Markovitz, who has not yet attended any General Assembly hosted by Scales, urged to SGA members, “I’d like to expedite the process toward the General Assembly as soon as possible.”
With SGA leadership divided, the future remains uncertain. Scales has refused to resign, while other SGA members continue efforts to stifle his power and remove him. Markovitz appears unwavering in his push to revise the SGA Constitution, particularly provisions that could make it easier for administrators to remove elected student leaders.
The status quo for Markovitz as Faculty Advisor of SGA, as it had always been before Scales was elected as president last year, is marked by minimal student support and many days elsewhere from the college. Attempts to reach Markovitz for comment have consistently been ignored. Whether the SGA can escape his trained apathy and effectively represent students remains to be seen.
The Independent 
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