The Associated Student Government introduced new legislation allowing ASG senators to attend meetings remotely while studying off campus, domestically or internationally, during their first meeting of the quarter Wednesday. The Senate also held elections for open seats on various committees and began working on legislation for Winter Quarter. 

McCormick junior and Senate Parliamentarian James La Fayette proposed legislation that would allow ASG senators who are studying abroad to attend meetings remotely. Currently, senators who are studying abroad must send proxies to meetings in their place or face the risk of losing their seat if they are absent four times during their term, La Fayette said. 

“If a senator is studying abroad, and they can Zoom in, that should count (for attendance),” La Fayette said. “They should be able to work with other senators and legislation, still be able to do their responsibilities and have the same privileges as other senators do despite studying abroad.”

ASG also held elections for one open seat on both their Rules Committee and Election Commission. The Rules Committee edits ASG’s Code and Constitution every quarter and the Election Commission ensures that ASG’s presidential elections run smoothly. 

Communication junior and senator Ryan Lien ran unopposed and won the seat for the Rules Committee. 

“I thought that being on the Rules Committee could be a good way to preserve the way the Senate runs and make sure that it’s functioning in an efficient way that allows students to get things done without rules tripping us up,” Lien said.

As a member of the committee, Lien added that he aims to keep the ASG Constitution up to date and make sure there are no loopholes that prevent senators from carrying out their duties.

Weinberg freshman and Asian Pacific American Coalition Senator Margaret Zhang also ran unopposed and won the seat for the Election Commission.

Zhang said she decided to run for the Election Commission after being encouraged by a fellow senator and because she wanted to get involved with the election process.

Senators had time to reflect on Fall Quarter, workshop previous legislation and draft new pieces of legislation on topics of their choice.

During this time, Zhang said she plans to co-sponsor a resolution from Fossil Free Northwestern to improve communication with incoming students about housing. 

Weinberg junior and Deputy Speaker of the Senate Melissa Kusi-Amponsah also wants to implement new policies. 

After witnessing some policies of other institutions while she was studying abroad last semester, Kusi-Amponsah wants to implement similar ideas within the Senate. Above all, Kusi-Amponsah wants to be a support system for senators, she said. 

“I really want us to (be) focusing on implementation, because I feel like right now, the senators have so many big ideas and then once it gets passed, it’s so hard to actually keep up,” Kusi-Amponsh said. 

Email: [email protected]

Related Stories:

— ASG Senate allocates $10,000 in funding to new student organizations, swears in new co-president 

— ASG introduces new legislation on dining hours and heating issues, prepares for Funding Senate 

— ASG elects Election Commission members, introduces new legislation and code reforms