Members of student government swore in new representatives Wednesday night with the first meeting of the 20th session of Associated Students of Madison.
In the six-hour long meeting Wednesday, ASM members elected new chairs and committee positions for the 20th session of Student Council. The swearing in process included an oath to uphold the ideals of the ASM and a promise to also take a neutral stance when dealing with other student organizations.
David Gardner, a College of Letters and Science representative and the former ASM Press Office director, was elected the next session’s ASM chair, with endorsements by a wide range of past and present student government members, as well the student leader of Amnesty International on campus.
The election, which involved a secret ballot, ended with Gardner getting elected by a vote of 21-10, defeating previous SSFC Chair and Student Council Rep. Sarah Neibart.
“[Madison students] deserve real outreach and collaboration from ASM,” Gardner said in his nomination speech to the student body.
Gardner also said he wants to expand the work he has done in the press office to take on outreach with other student programs on campus and the perceived notion that ASM is difficult to coordinate with.
Speaking to questions brought by representatives about interaction with incoming University of Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank and how he would deal with possible disagreement with the administration, Gardner said he would maintain a professional relationship with Blank and will always stay professional while arguing for students.
Once elected, Gardner took charge of the meeting and went on to make appointments of other chair positions for the student body. His first point of order was voting on the nomination of the vice chair for Student Council.
Nominations for ASM’s vice chair included Rep. Mia Akers, former Diversity Committee chair and Neibart. Neibart had asked to run for vice chair in the event that she was not elected chair.
Akers made a case for herself in a speech before the council.
“I know how to work for the student voice,” Akers said. “I know how to work logistics and work with other entities.”
Initial voting for vice chair lead to a 15-15 tie. ASM bylaws and Robert’s Rules of Order dictate a continuous re-vote until the results change in favor of one of the candidates.
Debate resumed only after a special suspension of normal rules were voted on, leading to an examination of negative statements made by Akers on social media regarding Blank, as well as Neibart’s absence because she is currently abroad in Egypt for the semester.
Multiple votes lead to a continued tie, and Student Council voted to postpone the decision on the vice chair position until the body’s next meeting on May 6.
Becca Beull, who was voted as the next Nomination Board chair, cited her work as the University Affairs chair as good preparation for this new position. Buell beat the other six members of the committee for this nomination.
Also during the meeting, the appointments for the Student Services Finance Committee, the Finance Committee and the Nomination Committee were filled by representatives of the student body.
