Month: February 2023

February 10th, 2023, By Senator Austin Emery, Secretary of the 43rd Student Senate

Reviewed and revised by Olivia Degraff

We hope you enjoyed your break because George Mason University’s Student Government is ready to get right back to serving the community! This past Thursday, the Student Senate convened at 4:30 pm to initiate its second session. Along with it came a few changes within the organization. 

• Upon the resignation of Senator Noor Abuzinadah from student government (and thus also her position as Chair of the University Life Committee), a three-way election took place between Senator Erica Munisar, Senator Matthew Kovacev, and Senator Alexander Williams. After a near hour of debate, the body voted in Williams to fill the position. The vote was 20 for Williams, 8 for Munisar, and 1 for Kovacev. 
• Williams took on the position immediately and has resigned from his position as Secretary of the Senate. With his resignation, Austin Emery has subsequently fulfilled the position of Secretary.  
• On Saturday, Williams confirmed in a Slack message to the organization that his committee will convene on Mondays at 2 pm. Students who are not part of Student Government are welcome to attend their meetings as they discuss a wide variety of topics, ranging from student involvement to well-being. 

There were also some changes within the Executive Branch of the Student Government, who had its first meeting of the new year this past Thursday at 7 pm. In a revamped session led by Vice President Celine Apenteng and Chief of Staff Lauren Battey, the President’s cabinet bid their welcomes to a handful of new faces. Their new appointments and position changes were as such:  

• With the resignation of Aloana Hall from her position as Secretary of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs upon her graduation, former Undersecretary of Identity Affairs Zoe Winter ascended to the role after being confirmed by the Senate. As a result of this, Zion Hill took on Winter’s former role. 
• A similar situation unfolded for the University Life department, where Valeria Vargas resigned from her position of Secretary of UL, with former Undersecretary of Student Involvement Pierce Landon moving up and taking on her position. Sona Yathavamoorthy was subsequently appointed and took on Landon’s former position. 
• Undersecretary for Community Relations and Civic Engagement Chadni Cowpwer also resigned from her position, with Gabriella Gabrovska succeeding her. 
• Undersecretary of Academic and Professional Development Jayden Fulford stepped down from his position, allowing Samantha Wheltzer to be appointed in his place. 
• Through B. #31, a new position for the Cabinet was created: the Undersecretary for Student Health Services. Around 7:30, the Senate ended its meeting by confirming the first person to fill that position, Jared Anderson. 

By the end of the 2/2 session of the Senate, their member count had dropped from 40 to 36 members. We thank Senators Muhammad Ismail, Matt Nguyen, Pranav Shrivastava, Maya Khachab, and former Chair Noor Abuzinadah for their time in the organization. Additionally, President Nguyen’s Cabinet extends its regards to Aloana Hall, Valeria Vargas, Chadni Cowpwer, and Jaden Fulford, and not only thanks them for their time and dedication, but wishes them well in their future endeavors.  

Students (undergraduate and graduate) who are interested in joining the Student Senate may fill out this form to go through the appointment process. Students must have the 4:30-7:10 window on Thursdays open to be eligible to join. Students should also allocate some time in weeks to fulfill office hours, volunteering, and outreach requirements. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and applicants will be asked to attend the upcoming Admin & Finance committee meeting, which occurs on a weekly basis on Monday at 12pm. There, they will be expected to give a candidate statement and respond to questions that members of the committee may pose. Should they be confirmed by the committee, the process will repeat on that same Thursday where all members of the Senate will vote and ask questions to the candidate. 

Happy Spring, and go Mason Nation!