Associated Student Government appointed Weinberg junior Margot Bartol as newly created executive officer of accountability in its Wednesday session. 

ASG president Christian Wade and vice president Adaeze Ogbona created the position to hold the entire organization and University administration accountable to the student body. Accountability was a central part of Wade and Ogbonna’s campaign platform. They approached Barol with the position after prior conversations around their platform.

“In the past, ASG has had a big problem of making all these promises or trying to do things, but never really following through on it,” Wade said.

In the past year, ASG has taken many steps to reform the organization due to issues with inequity and the exclusion of marginalized students. The Social Justice Education Chair was created last summer and the Ad Hoc Committee to Reimagine ASG was established in January.

Bartol is the founder and former chair of the Policy Research Committee. She said the committee researched past approaches to accountability in ASG, only finding impeachments and resignations as solutions rather than specific actions to address harm caused. Her goal is to hold perpetrators of harm, promises made to marginalized students and the entire organization accountable, she said.

Internally, Bartol said she will monitor ASG’s actions and promises and create accountability mechanisms, which is a part of how ASG needs to restructure, she said. She added that she plans to ensure marginalized students are involved in conversations reforming accountability.

“Who ASG has not been accountable to is often marginalized students and that’s really important to be talked about in this context.” Bartol said.

Externally, the position also intends to hold administrators accountable by monitoring task forces. Bartol will sit on the task forces or appoint students to task forces, especially if they hold more relevant identities for a specific committee. She said student presence on committees would help keep student needs and demands at the center of their discussions. Wade said he and Ogbonna chose Bartol because of her ability to work with administrators.

It is not clear if the position will be temporary or permanent yet, Bartol said.

During the session, the Senate also approved updates to the election commission guidelines and a Wild Ideas proposal for BlackBoard Magazine’s launch party, which will serve as a means to distribute magazines and have a bonding event for the Black community. 

NU Active Minds Senator Emma Wool also proposed legislation to increase funding for its medical leave of absence program and make information about the program more accessible.

“The lack of financial and informational support creates a lot of barriers which prevents students from taking leave or makes the process difficult,” Wool said.

The Senate will vote on the legislation next week.

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @emmacrosenbaum

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— Meet ASG presidential candidates Christian Wade and Ada Ogbonna