Senate holds first meeting of new body
By Mary Czarsty, assistant news editor
Posted on April 27, 2006

Tuesday night, the SGA held its first meeting with newly-elected executive board members, general body members and class council members. They came together to elect a new Speaker of the Senate, Stephanie Genco (Jr.).

The five candidates nominated for the position were Tommy Bluestein (Fr.), Geary Cox (Jr.), Genco, Julianne Maguire (Jr.) and Alex Waldie (Jr.).

All of the candidates emphasized a need to be unbiased in assuming the role of speaker. “It is so important to remain impartial as speaker,” Bluestein said. “I know what it takes to stay unbiased in my role, especially when working with the exec board.”

Also important was the issue of unifying the senate to present a unified front to JMU. “Speaker is a position of respect and I will assume that role with the auspices of creating a cohesive senate,” Cox said.

Other candidates emphasized the active role a speaker must play to further the growth of SGA. “Leadership is about empowering those around you, and as speaker I want to work closely with committees to stay in the loop and affect change,” Genco said.

Despite her desire to be an active participant in her role of speaker, she vowed to remain unbiased in order to ensure fair debate.

“I come to you agenda-free,” Genco said.

Maguire gave her speech on a lighter note; she used props like a cardboard cutout of cheese and a Statue of Liberty headband to emphasize her main points and to stress her devotion to SGA. “I knew since the first meeting I sat in on that speaker was a position I wanted,” Maguire said.

In the end, most candidates simply stressed the best candidate for the job be chosen. “I have no doubt that any of the others nominated will do an amazing job, so I simply ask that you vote for who you feel will accomplish the most,” Waldie said.

Stephanie Genco swept the vote, gaining a majority of senators’ votes in just one try. “Its essentially a mandate,” SGA adviser David Barnes said.

Barnes also announced that a budget increase of 3 percent will be allotted for the upcoming fiscal year. “This is great news for student groups,” Barnes said. “It’s not a lot, but it’s still a little extra money to help front-end budgeted student organizations accomplish their goals.”