With a nearly unanimous vote, political science senior Jasmine Wang was sworn in as the new Speaker of the Student Senate for the 70th session of Student Senate. Wang was Speaker Pro Tempore but acted as the interim speaker after Ja’Cory Clark stepped down from the position in May.
“I dreamed about this moment when I would stand before the student body and run for Speaker when I was just a new Student Senator,” Wang said. “I’m just really excited about what we are going to accomplish this year.”
Wang hopes to usher in a new relationship between student government and the student body with plans to have a monthly newsletter and updates from the speaker’s office.
“I want to improve on relationships to make sure any legislation we are writing isn’t a surprise to administration or the student body,” Wang said. “We have to actively gather information and ask students what they want to see changed.”
The Student Senate unanimously elected political science senior Courtney Crews as Speaker Pro Tempore. Crews hopes to hold workshops for new senators and hold Student Senate more accountable.
“I want to schedule as much personal meetings as possible and be accessible,” Crews said. “I think it’s about communicating with people and holding people accountable.”
The Senate also unanimously confirmed two associate justices to the Judicial Court – political science senior Alex Rose and university studies business senior Neil Kharade.
The Aggie Driving Safety Resolution proposed by Community Relations Chair Jack Wilson and Vice-President of Municipal Affairs Jonah Chen was passed unanimously and will enable the Student Senate to address student safety and security on the roads in Bryan – College Station. This bill comes in light of Caroline Killian’s death this summer.
“It’s about safety and security of all of our students within our community,” Chen said. “We want to continue tough conversations with the city of College Station of what it means to be safe and remember those Aggies that have passed away.”
The Senate concluded with updates from Student Body President Bobby Brooks, Chief Justice Dhananjay Khanna and Speaker of the Student Senate Wang.