New members of the University of Wisconsin student fee allocation committee elected their incoming leaders in last night’s meeting.

Members unanimously approved former Student Services Finance Committee Secretary Ellie Bruecker to be the next chair. She ran unopposed for the position.

As chair, Bruecker said she will work with both student organizations on campus and other members of the Associated Students of Madison to improve communication between the two. She added she thinks a source of many of the issues in the past year has been infighting between Student Council and SSFC.

“The decisions of SSFC are to be defended, and I will take that role very seriously,” Bruecker said. “I feel that I am well prepared for this position, and I can assure you my commitment to this organization and this body is unwavering.”

Rep. Joe Vanden Avond was also voted to be the next SSFC Vice Chair by a vote of 10 to 3. Rep. Jonathan Harris, who is new to SSFC this semester, was also unanimously approved to be the body’s secretary.

Outgoing SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart endorsed Bruecker, as well as Vanden Avond and Harris. She said she has worked with Bruecker extensively in preparing for her to be SSFC Chair and is well qualified for the position.

Neibart added Vanden Avond has worked to fill many of the vice chair’s responsibilities over the last semester. Vanden Avond, who ran against Rep. David Vines for the position of Vice Chair, said he aimed to keep a cool head despite unnerving situations.

“What I would offer more than anything is a pretty level-headed approach,” Vanden Avond said. “I keep things in perspective… and I just think that’s something that’s pretty valuable if you’ve got people in a room when tensions are pretty high.”

Vines said he wanted to work on improving communication between SSFC and student groups to ensure the two organizations are reducing potential problems. While he thought the last session of SSFC worked well, he said there was a lack of outreach that could be increased during the next session.

Harrison, who ran uncontested to be the SSFC Secretary, said he was interested in the position after working as an ASM intern last semester to improve student involvement on student government committees.

“I like to listen, I like to talk and anything you guys need I will always be there to do,” Harris said.

Student Council Rep. Niko Magallon also spoke in open forum on the function of SSFC itself. He said previous SSFC chairs have been promoting the idea that their position is equal to that of the ASM chair, although SSFC’s role is to recommend fee allocations to the Student Council.

However, Rep. Ronald Crandall pointed out SSFC’s veto power of Student Council decisions.