The Associated Student Government Senate elected a new Student Group Caucus whip and appointed three senators to the Board of Financial Review on Wednesday.
Weinberg freshman and Alianza Senator Britney Perez was elected Student Group Caucus whip in an uncontested election.
In her new position, Perez will coordinate with her fellow student group senators to draft, coordinate and implement legislation over the next year.
“I got involved with ASG in the first place because I want to be involved with NU as a community along with Alianza,” she said. “I think it’s important that, since we are a minority group, that we get to know all the groups and learn how to join together.”
Perez is the second consecutive Alianza senator to serve as caucus whip, after Weinberg junior Nicole Aguilar-Medina recently concluded her year-long term.
Weinberg sophomore Kaitlyn Salgado-Alvarez, the Undergraduate Schools Caucus whip, said she is excited for Perez and glad she ran for the position.
Salgado-Alvarez said she met with Provost Kathleen Hagerty earlier that day to discuss a strategy to encourage professors not to assign homework over breaks.
The Senate also welcomed three new members to its Board of Financial Review: Weinberg freshman and Quest+ Senator Comfort Opafola, Weinberg senior and NU College Republicans Senator Tharein Potuhera and Perez, who still serves as Alianza senator despite her new role as caucus whip.
Each year, the BOFR reviews the Student Activities Finance Committee’s proposed allocations for student groups and offers recommendations on funding priorities. The legislative board will meet in a few weeks to consider applications for SAFC’s funding cycle for the 2024-2025 academic year.
“(The BOFR’s) main priority is dealing with student group funding,” Weinberg sophomore and Speaker of the Senate Grace Houren said. “So, just giving senators who are interested a deeper ability to be financially competent, be financially intelligent and really approach the funding process in an equitable way.”
Open to all senators, the BOFR also considers funding applications each quarter for other ASG grants such as the Executive Grant and New Student Organization Support Fund, which allocate funds to student groups.
Senators also brainstormed legislation ahead of the upcoming April 28 submission deadline.
Ideas included legislation to remove incentives for completing course and teacher evaluations, expand the Student Activities Assistance Fund and request that Northwestern officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Senators also discussed legislation to prevent classes from having finals before 10 a.m., install temperature-adjustable water fountains in dorms, create a translation program for non-native English-speaking family members during Wildcat Welcome and increase pass/no pass class options in the language departments.
After funding applications closed April 5, SAFC began discussing allocation amounts for student groups and will send its proposed allocations to BOFR by the end of the month.
As she transitions into her new position, Perez said she aims to conduct team bonding activities within the Student Group Caucus and work with senators to advance each other’s legislation.
“I’m excited to get to know all the student orgs on campus,” Perez said.
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