Associated Student Government Senate held elections Wednesday evening for the Student Appropriations Finance Committee and the Residence Hall Association/Residential College Board Election Committee.
The SAFC is a 12-member committee consisting of six senators and six non-senators. Members serve as account executives or financial advisors for A-status student groups, according to the committee’s website. The committee is responsible for spring funding for A-status groups, fall supplemental funding and annual winter code reviews of the groups.
Non-senators Kelsey Kenady, a Communication sophomore, and Jeremy Yablon, a Weinberg sophomore, were re-elected to the committee after serving this past year.
Weinberg junior Amar Minhas was elected as a new non-senator member. Senator and Weinberg freshman Naveen Nallappa was re-elected to the committee after having served on it for three months. Off-campus senator and Weinberg junior Reed Wilson and Elder Hall senator and Weinberg freshman Girish Pendse were also newly elected to the SAFC.
Seven people were elected by white ballot to the RHA/Residential College Board Election Committee, which oversees senator elections from the dorms during the fall. The white ballot was held because there were as many nominees as openings, so no debate or voting occurred.
Senate also passed two pieces of emergency legislation. The first was titled “Stand Up for Human Rights: Arizona SB 1070 Awareness Campaign.” The legislation was introduced by Alianza Senator Luis Frausto and states that ASG will “support the endeavors” of an assembled coalition of Northwestern students, professors, staff and alumni who have come together to “raise awareness and bring about a campus discussion” regarding a recently passed controversial Arizona immigration law.
“(We need to) confront this issue with resistance and students on campus showing their opposition to this law,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “It is a human rights violation.”
The other piece of emergency legislation settled a hotly contested issue with the ASG cabinet selection process. The Senate created a new selection process in February, which affects the External Relations and Public Relations vice presidents and the Technology director. These positions would be selected by a committee of Executive Board members and the outgoing member of the corresponding cabinet position.
Two weeks ago, senators raised questions about the details of this new procedure during the confirmation process for the external relations VP nominee, Weinberg freshman Dan Weiss, whom the Senate eventually voted not to confirm. ASG President Claire Lew said the code is now clearer and more detailed.
“We wanted to present to all of you a process that is clear and transparent,” the SESP junior said. “The main point is to take the process that was originally outlined and put it in more detail.”
Since the code was changed and no external relations VP has been selected, the application process for the position will be reopened to every undergraduate student, including Weiss, who under the previous code would not have been allowed to reapply after not having been confirmed. The selection committee will announce its nominee for the position to Senate in two weeks, Lew said.
