Tamara Kagel was appointed student services vice president Sunday in a closed vote by the Associated Student Government Executive Board.
ASG President Mike Fong said members of the Executive Board interviewed four applicants — including presidential runner-up Michael Blake — for the position and chose Kagel, who as late as last week was not sure she wanted the job, because of her past Executive Board experience and accomplishments while serving as ASG academic vice president in the past year.
Although ASG leaders debated about which applicant to appoint for SSVP, Fong said the Executive Board stands behind Kagel’s selection.
“We definitely felt as though the other candidates were very qualified,” said Fong, a Weinberg junior. “We would be glad to see them work with ASG in any way.”
Kagel, who ran for ASG president but missed the runoff by 10 votes, worked on projects such as the faculty-administrator honor roll and buttons for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as academic vice president.
Fong also announced that International Studies Residential College Sen. Noora Lori was appointed to the position of campus public relations chairwoman, and Allison Hall Sen. Jane Lee, who is the Evanston business liaison, will serve as external relations chairwoman.
The three must now be confirmed by senators at Wednesday’s meeting.
When the no confidence option received more votes than unopposed student services vice presidential candidate Adam Forsyth in the April 17 runoff election, the ASG Constitution and Bylaws required the Executive Board — which included Kagel’s presidential campaign managers Noreen Khalid and Joel Richlin — to appoint a student to fill the vacancy.
Blake, who lost to Fong by 99 votes in the presidential runoff April 17, said he was “surprised” by the Executive Board’s decision but chose not to comment on Kagel’s appointment or if he plans to join ASG in another role.
“I have to sit back and think what’s in store for my future,” said Blake, a Medill junior.
The SSVP’s duties include sitting on the Norris University Center Advisory Board and heading ASG’s Student Services Committee and the University Dining Services Committee.
Although she is glad to have been appointed, Kagel said she initially hesitated to turn in an application for the job because she was disillusioned that ASG “had become about politics.” On the night of the runoff, Kagel told The Daily she was not interested in the post.
But she finally chose to apply, she said Sunday, to accomplish some of the goals in her presidential platform.
“I realized it doesn’t have to be about politics and it can simply be about giving back to the school that I love,” said Kagel, a Communication junior. “Coming to that realization is what made me want to stay in ASG and work on those issues for another year.”
Kagel said she wants to emphasize improving off-campus lighting and discussing diversity on campus in light of Winter Quarter incidents of anti-Semitic and racial epithets. Borrowing from her presidential platform, Kagel is planning several community-building events, such as a performance of the Waa-Mu Show where students would be able to buy discounted tickets.
Both Fong and Kagel ran for academic vice president in 2002, with Kagel winning the race. In October, Fong was appointed SSVP after Tiffany Berry resigned. Kagel was on the Executive Board when Fong applied for the job she now holds.
“It’s definitely a soap opera,” Fong said, referring to their joint rise up the ASG ladder.
Kagel said the transition from running against Fong to working with him will not be difficult.
“Keeping the perspective that we’re all students here makes it very easy for me to work under someone who formerly was a competitor of mine,” she said.
For the other positions, both Lee and Lori were chosen for their outstanding work on their committees, Fong said.
Lee said her work as the Evanston business liaison as part of the External Relations Committee caused her to apply for the top job.
“I wanted to forge those relationships with the Evanston community at large,” said Lee, a Weinberg sophomore. Lee hopes to expand the WildCARD Advantage program and work with aldermen to improve off-campus safety.
Loori, a Weinberg freshman who was also Kagel’s campaign manager, said as the campus public relations chairwoman she will continue the successful ASG-sponsored Spring Break trip and Fall Quarter tailgates.
One Executive Board position remains unfilled. Applications for technology director are due Friday in Fong’s mailbox in the ASG office on the third floor of Norris.
The Daily’s Jerome C. Pandell contributed to this report.
