The College of DuPage Student Leadership Council voted unanimously to remove Operations Officer Luka Volarevic on Oct. 9, according to The Courier, making it the council’s first officer removal in more than five years. Volarevic was among the members who voted in favor of his own removal. The decision followed a report that he had nearly used a racial slur in front of another SLC member; he had previously faced scrutiny over racial slurs.
The council learned of the incident on Oct. 6, when a fellow SLC member reported the interaction to officers and advisers, according to The Courier. The council discussed the details at a private meeting that same day, and advisor Jelymar Mejia said the removal vote followed on Oct. 9. Volarevic told the outlet he had been expressing frustration about a personal-life situation when he almost made the racist remark, and he maintained that he did not fully articulate it.
A Unanimous Vote, With the Target Casting a Ballot
SLC President Isabella “Luna” Escobar did not vote, though the council’s published guidance allows the president to vote in the case of a tie. Volarevic was not excluded from the ballot. He told the outlet he supported his removal and acknowledged that his maturity and demeanor on the council needed improvement.
Escobar said the council was incredibly disappointed and that the second chance Volarevic had received earlier did not excuse the latest incident. She also said the SLC wanted to improve its transparency and public accountability. Adviser Jelymar Mejia said she was proud of the council’s effort to address the incident and its own shortcomings.
A Second Case Involving Racial Slurs This Year
This is not the first time slurs have surfaced among College of DuPage's elected student leaders. Volarevic and Student Trustee Danna Gonzalez both faced scrutiny for using racial slurs in separate incidents during the 2025-26 spring semester, and the council voted at that time to let both of them keep their positions, as reported by The Courier. In Gonzalez's case, the council held multiple emergency meetings with officers, representatives and advisers and spent a total of five hours over three days in restorative conversations to determine whether relationships could be repaired, as noted by The Courier.
Gonzalez acknowledged using a slur in private conversations with an ex-boyfriend, The Courier reported. The outlet said it obtained and independently verified recordings and screenshots of the conversations. Gonzalez called her actions wrong and unacceptable, said she had stepped away from her scholarship to take accountability, and said she intended to serve the rest of her term as student trustee. No formal complaints had been filed against her at the time of that report.
Filling the Vacancy Before March Elections
Because the SLC does not hold its next elections until March, the council plans to appoint a replacement officer rather than wait, The Courier reported The Courier. Mejia said the group is prioritizing a careful evaluation of potential replacements over rushing into a decision. In the meantime, Volarevic's duties — recording meeting details and organizing digital files — will mostly be handed off to other members, and the council plans to delay secondary tasks like producing its monthly finance reports while it searches for a substitute.
It remains unclear whether the SLC will make a formal public announcement about the removal or the vacancy-filling process. Escobar told The Courier that the council had no current plans to discuss Volarevic’s case at an upcoming College of DuPage Board of Trustees meeting.
Published rules and the trustee’s role
The SLC’s published voting guidance says an item to be voted on must appear on an agenda posted 24 hours before the meeting, according to the College of DuPage Student Leadership Council. That guidance does not establish whether the agenda procedure was followed in this case or specify how an officer is removed or a vacancy is filled. College policy describes the Student Trustee as a separate Board role, elected by students to a one-year term.
Volarevic Says He's Stepping Back, Not Necessarily Out
Volarevic told The Courier he was sorry and willing to speak with people affected by his conduct. He said he planned to pursue diversity and personal-development training and work to repair relationships, and that he was considering returning to the SLC in the future.
Over the summer, the council set goals for the year ahead that included racial-sensitivity training for all members and building stronger ties with other representative organizations on campus. The College of DuPage election records list Luke Volarevic with 112 votes in the March 18-19 election and show Escobar was seated in the same election with 127 votes out of 273 total valid ballots cast.
