The 50th student senate elected the new Vice President (VP) of Finance, confirmed five senate seats on the Constitution and Rules Committee (CRC), one seat on the judicial board and passed new legislation regarding the Student Association (SA) Research Line on Tuesday, Sept. 21 in the Student Union.
The senate confirmed second-year finance and accounting major Youssouf Kuoyo to the VP of finance seat, a position that has been vacant since the beginning of the academic year due to the departure of former VP of Finance Yasmin El Jamal.
Kouyo and Sen. Rose Faber stood before the legislative body as the two of four applicants chosen by the SA Executive board after a “really, really tough decision,” according to SA President Jennifer Sanchez.
While some senators and outside bodies expressed concern about electing a candidate that did not have experience with budget line applications and SA methods, Sanchez suggested that students focus on how the VP of finance would interact with the students because whoever is elected will be trained.
Jonathan Freifeld, a third-year political science major who served two semesters as a student senator, said he thinks Faber would be the best to start off in the VP of finance position because she has experience with the SA and budget line forms, unlike Kuoyo.
“I really think when starting a position you’re getting thrown into, you should really have some experience with the work that you’re going to be doing. For that reason, I think Rose would be the best to start off in this position,” said Freifeld.
Sen. Max Lasky disagreed with Freifeld and said senators should focus on the character of the candidate they are electing rather that the experience the candidates have with the forms.
“We’ve already gone a month without a VP of finance and I think that if we had to wait a week… or whatever it would be for Youssouf to become familiar with the forms, it really wouldn’t be a disastrous situation,” said Lasky.
The legislative body elected Kouyo through a secret ballot that included the “no confidence” option, which is the choice to vote for neither.
After the VP of finance election, the senate passed a bill regarding a change in the SA Research Line that was presented by Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Caitlin Ryan and sponsored by Sen. Rose Felix. The bill said that students could receive funds from both the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities (RSCA) line and the SA line for a research.
Last semester, the legislative body voted through the original bill of the SA Research Line, which aimed to provide another funding option undergraduate and graduate students seeking to conduct research, said Ryan. The bill was passed with the stipulation that studies be sponsored by only one research line. The new bill said that “for the remainder of the 2010 academic year, students be allowed to apply for funds from both programs for a total limit of $750.”
“Thus, a student’s project could be approved by RSCA, making that student eligible for conference travel funds and the student can obtain SA funds for activities that are not allowed within the RSCA program.
Sens. Lasky, Samantha Kossin, Megan Grieco, Chris Thurston and Marc Pottack were confirmed to seats on the CRC amd all expressed interest in learning and working on the constitution.
Third-year history and French major Kirk Mcleod was elected to a position on the judicial board. Mcleod, who wants to go to law school after college, said he thinks he is definitely qualified for the position.
“I honestly feel like I’ll be able to help, along with other people to make the best choice possible, and pretty much ensure that…the best choice is made,” said Mcleod.
During their senate reports, Executive Vice President Eve Stern encouraged students to run for open seats on the Sustainability Committee which works on promoting environmental sustainability throughout campus and seats on the University Police committee.
The next general meeting of the student senate will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 28 in Student Union 418.