Wednesday night’s student Senate meeting started off with the swearing in of the 2017-2018 Student Body President, Bobby Brooks, economics junior, also marking the official start of the 70th session of Student Senate. Ja’Cory Clark was elected as the Speaker of the 70th session.
Brooks began the night by addressing the members of Senate with a request for the governmental branches of the Student Government Association to work together.
“I come to y’all tonight with some requests and that’s going to be that you work with me … also that you voice your disagreements to me. I really want to work with you here and I value you as a student leader … I want make sure that the Aggie Spirit is upheld here because I know we can do this and we all dedicate ourselves fully to that,” Brooks said.
The 70th Session will serve as the next academic term’s voice of the student body to the Texas A&M administration.
With two years of experience in Senate and various leadership roles, history junior Ja’Cory Clark was nominated and elected as Speaker of the 70th session. In this role, Clark will oversee all operations of the legislative branch of the Student Government Association, chair Senate meetings and represent Student Senate to external entities. Clark is the first African American to hold the office of Speaker in Student Senate in 42 years, since Fred McClure, Speaker of the 28th session.
“Outreach is going to be a big thing for me. I want to reach out to students and see what they have for me and what problems they go through so we can make legislation that addresses those things,” Clark said.
In his term, Clark would also like to encourage senators to improve outreach by speaking with their constituents, develop continuity by knowing Senate’s history and practice substantive debate during Student Senate meetings.
Speaker of the 69th session, Joseph Hood, handed the gavel to newly elected Speaker of the 70th session, Clark, to begin the first meeting of the 70th session, with officer and chair elections at the top of the agenda.
Jasmine Wang was nominated and elected as Speaker Pro-Tempore of the 70th session. In this role, she will serve as the legislature’s chief administrative officer and second-in-command of the Senate, after Speaker Clark. She hopes to foster more of a sense of community and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the legislative body.
After both Olivia Krog and Ben Johnson were nominated for the position of Rules and Regulations Chair, Johnson was elected with a 50-13 vote. Taylor Day was unanimously elected as Finance Chair.
