ASG elects Dylan Jost as speaker of the Senate, Leah Ryzenman as parliamentarian
Daily file illustration by Emma Ruck
Both Jost and Ryzenman were described by ASG executive board members as being enthusiastic in their positions this past year.
March 31, 2021
In its first Wednesday session of Spring Quarter, Associated Student Government elected Weinberg freshman Dylan Jost as speaker of the Senate and SESP freshman Leah Ryzenman as parliamentarian.
Jost won an uncontested race, replacing Weinberg sophomore Zack Lori. In his speech, Jost said he campaigned for the role because of how important ASG’s work is in making students’ voices heard. He added that he wanted to build a better sense of community among ASG senators.
“(The) community aspect where people feel encouraged to speak up can sometimes be lacking,” Jost said. “It’s definitely contributed to by the virtual aspect, but I feel like there’s also improvements to be made.”
Analytics chair and Weinberg sophomore Joe Maino, who nominated Jost for the position, said he was impressed by Jost’s Instagram campaign for Senate in the fall, which demonstrated his goals and vision for ASG.
Maino said he’s noticed Jost’s drive to enact changes and make people’s voices heard, citing his enthusiasm throughout the academic year.
“I really appreciate anyone who wants the Senate to be the place that determines the course ASG as a whole takes,” Maino said, “because the Senate truly is the one place in ASG that is supposed to directly represent the students.”
Ryzenman, who also ran unopposed, took over as parliamentarian for Lori who replaced Weinberg junior Matthew Wylie as speaker of the Senate. Wylie resigned in December 2020 following criticisms for his sharing of a racist meme in private communication to ASG members.
In her speech, Ryzenman discussed her experience keeping track of attendance and minutes.
Policy Research Institute chair and Weinberg junior Margot Bartol, spoke in favor of Ryzenman, emphasizing her engagement with the executive board and citing her willingness to represent Northwestern at the Association of Big Ten Students conference.
“Having worked with (Ryzenman) on (the executive board), she’s always been really engaged and wanting to be a part of the experience,” Bartol said. “Things are tough right now and it’s really hard to want to be engaged with things.”
Jost and Ryzenman were sworn in at the end of the meeting.
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Twitter: @emmacrosenbaum
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