Former Speaker of the Texas A&M Student Senate Andrew Applewhite was sworn in as the new student body president, or SBP, following the impeachment of former SBP Hudson Kraus on Sept. 27. After Kraus’ removal, the Student Government Association, or SGA, Constitution dictated Applewhite as next in line for the presidency.

At the Oct. 11 Student Senate meeting, Applewhite was officially sworn in by Judicial Court Chief Justice Sawyer Bagley. It left a speaker vacancy, resulting in the senate also electing Constituency Affairs Chair Marcus Glass to serve as speaker of the senate.

To decide its new speaker, the senate internally elects a senator to serve as the primary representative, and they preside over all meetings. The position is analogous to the speaker of the house position in the U.S. Congress.

Glass and Legislative Relations Chair Corbitt Armstrong were both nominated for speaker, and their nomination was immediately followed by arguments in favor of both candidates for the position. 

Off-Campus Caucus Leader Ramon Rodriguez argued in favor of Glass.

“[Glass] is not just a leader — but a visionary,” Rodriguez said. “[He is] committed to making our campus even better.”

After arguments were made for Glass, supporters for Armstrong were given the floor. Off-Campus Senator Eli Purtell stated his case. 

“Seeing [Armstrong] work in the senate and seeing his passion for service and his knowledge for procedure … inspired me to come up here and do the same,” Purtell said.

After arguments were presented by both sides, Speaker Pro Tempore Robert Hargrove announced the results to the chamber after the secret ballots were tallied. 

“We have the votes,” Hargrove said. “With a vote of 33-30, Marcus Glass is selected as the new speaker of the student senate.” 

After embracing Armstrong in a hug, Glass walked to the front of the room to be sworn in by Bagley. Glass then said his first priority in his new position is to create a strong relationship with the executive cabinet. Next, he addressed the Student Senate as a whole.

“I’m just honored to serve you guys for the next six months, and I hope we keep the ship all steady,” Glass said.

While the new speaker of the senate was being selected, Applewhite addressed the senate about his central message to the student body regarding his presidency. 

“I’m here to represent everyone, to represent everything it is to be an Aggie,” Applewhite said. “We are all unified by something. We’re unified by our Core Values, Honor Code and the ‘spirit that ne’er be told,’ and that means so much more than the mere fact that we go to school together. I’m going to work tirelessly to honor that same Aggie Spirit and make sure every Aggie is fully represented by our student government.”

When asked about his main goals for his presidency, Applewhite said his first priority is representing the student body.

“The main goal of my presidency is to represent and serve the students as best as we can,” Applewhite said. “There are already a lot of projects that are being worked on that will positively affect students, from the ‘no more than four’ effort, to mental health week and resources, to posthumous degrees, to many more projects.”