Student Government senate elects new president
Written by Christopher Guinn, Apr 10, 2012, 0 Comments
The Student Government Senate elected a steady hand to proceed over the most important and complex decision made each year by the legislative body, the club and organizations budget.
Sen. Emily Gorman, a veteran member of the Senate, defeated Sens. Brian Bauroth, William Nicks and Christa Hegedus to lead the Senate on April 4.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Eliana Aguilar took the role of Senate President after April Parsons resigned on March 21 following an attempt by Nicks and members of the executive branch to remove Parsons from the post.
The accusations against Parsons were found to be without merit by an ad hoc committee created to investigate the charges.
Aguilar asked the Senate to allow her to retain the No. 2 position by choosing no in a vote of confidence, allowing her to leave the top spot. The legislature obliged, confirming overwhelmingly that it had “no confidence” in her leadership as Senate president.
Usually, a vote of no confidence is used to remove leaders from positions without removing them from the government.
The tongue-in-cheek gamesmanship bothered at least two members of the Senate, Lauren Reilly and James Scott, who abstained from voting.
Sen. Michael Jernigan, a member of the impeachment committee, informed Aguilar that one of the charges against Parsons, that she had not maintained the “legislation tracker,” was actually a responsibility held by the president pro-tempore.
Gorman, who has had a schedule conflict with a class and General Assembly meetings all semester, reached an agreement with her professor so she can attend the meetings.
While Gorman won the vote, beating Bauroth after the candidates were narrowed down, members of the Senate indicated that he would be a good choice for president next year.
