Associated Student Government confirmed its 2020-2021 Executive Board at Wednesday’s Senate meeting, with all nine members sworn in simultaneously over Zoom.

The nominees were chosen from a pool of applicants by a selection committee that convened over the weekend. The selection committee members, including ASG President Katherine Conte and Vice President Juan Zuniga, took turns introducing candidates and explaining why the committee selected them.

Weinberg sophomore Campbell Schafer was confirmed as Chair of Academics, a position she has held for the last year. Conte said the committee was impressed with Schafer’s “enthusiasm” and “passion” for the role. Schafer took her oath of office on the book Grit by Angela Duckworth, which is about the power of hard work, rather than just talent.

Though Weinberg senator and freshman Joe Maino has not sat on the Analytics Committee, he was nominated and confirmed as its chair.

“He’s incredibly dedicated to this organization,” Conte said. “He has a lot of great ideas and we’re excited to see what he does with this committee.”

Maino said that as Chair of Analytics, he knows that the University’s budget deficit will require him to be “strategic” in advocating for student needs.

The selection committee nominated Weinberg Junior Zubair Ahmed and SESP sophomore Christian Wade as co-chairs of Campus Life, leading the Senate to suspend the rules that disallow for co-chairs. Zuniga said the selection committee thought the two would have complementary strengths.

Ahmed and Wade were the first nominees to receive a question prior to confirmation. Former ASG Vice President and SESP senior Adam Davies asked how they would continue the Campus Life Committee’s work advocating for transgender students. Both Ahmed and Wade emphasized the importance of working with transgender students and activists to create the most helpful possible change.

Another pair of co-chairs, Weinberg junior Molly Molloy and McCormick junior Spencer Colton, were confirmed to lead ASG’s newest committee, Communications. It was formed by combining the Technology Committee, of which Colton was formerly the Chair, with the Public Relations Committee.

SESP sophomore Daniel Rodriguez was confirmed as the second-ever Executive Officer of Justice and Inclusion. The selection committee commended Rodriguez for his strong relationships with activist groups and for his work on COVID-19 response legislation.

Rodriguez’s nomination was the first and only to go to a vote, where he was confirmed in a 14-7 vote after a closed session debate about his candidacy.

“As your EOJI, you have my promise that I will hold myself accountable and the rest of ASG to make sure we are supporting and empowering marginalized students,” Rodriguez said. “That is our focus, and inclusion is at the center of it.”

The Senate also confirmed SESP freshman Jenn Beardsley as Chair of Health and Wellness and McCormick junior Lauren Simitz for her second year as Chair of Sustainability.

After the new cabinet members were sworn in, the outgoing Executive Board was given the opportunity to give remarks. Though most chose not to speak or kept things short, SESP junior Soteria Reid, the outgoing EOJI and a candidate in this year’s ASG presidential election, took the time to reflect on her ASG experience as it comes to an end. Reid said she faced “exclusion” and “frustration” but was grateful for those who “sustained” her.

“I’m deeply grateful for having ASG as a space to teach me just how much I can build and how much I can contribute to the student body,” Reid said. “I know now that I can create change where there’s nothing.”

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