Senate elects new speaker

The Student Government Association elected a new Senate Speaker during their first meeting of the year on Tuesday.

The senate elected senior Krissy Schenbel as the speaker for the year. The speaker serves as the chairperson of the Student Senate, gives monthly reports evaluating the Student Senate committees and is a non-voting member of the Executive Council. In the event of a tie, the Speaker votes in a way that reflects the Student Senate.

"I wanted to be Speaker so I could ensure that our Senate meetings are being run as efficiently as possible," Schenbel said. "As Speaker, I plan to work closely with our Senate committees and make sure that they are meeting their goals for the semester and year, and that they are providing services that all the students of JMU can benefit from."

Three senators, junior Michael Dickie, Schnebel and sophomore Brendan Travis were nominated. Each gave a brief speech on his or her experience and hopes for the Senate and the SGA.

Each member of the Executive Board gave a short speech stating what they expected of the upcoming year.

"This is the year we have to step it up; no concern is too small," student body president Tom Culligan said. "There are nearly 100 people here committed to working toward concerns and challenges of the student body."

Also, two new SGA Executive Council positions have been added this year, the director of government relations, junior Beth Rudolph, and the director of cultural affairs, senior Lauren Broussard.

Senior JohnAlex Golden, vice president of administrative affairs, informed senators that the University Commissions and Committees now is accepting applications.

Any student is welcome to apply for a committee to represent student opinions.

Senior Alka Franceschi, vice president of student affairs, next addressed the Senate, promising "more Purple Out T-shirts and a better way to distribute them" to the student body.