In their first meeting of the 21st session, the Associated Students of Madison voted in new leaders and appointed committee members.

After hours of introductions, debates and questions for the position of chair, Genevieve Carter was selected over Ousmane Kabre by a vote of 23-4-1.

“I’m really excited, I think it’ll be a great year,” Carter said. “We’ve got some huge things coming up with shared governance and the biennial budget. I want to increase state funding for higher education.”

Carter said one of the most important things for her is to make sure student voices are heard at the university and state level. She said the body would do great work in advocating for students.

Many former ASM chairs were present in order to congratulate Carter and preside over the transition from the 20th session to the 21st session.

“Genevieve has been a strong and effective student leader throughout her time in ASM,” former Student Services Financial Committee Chair David Vines said. “Her intern project advocating for a statewide tuition freeze has had a direct benefit to every student on campus and she is the perfect person to head ASM as we head into the biennial budget season.”

ASM also elected its future vice chair, secretary, Nominations Board Chair, Shared Governance Chair and Diversity Committee Chair before adjourning at midnight to vote on the other chair positions at the next ASM meeting.

The results are as follows:

Derek Field as Vice Chair, and with no opposition, he was voted in unanimously.

Alexander Schultz was voted as ASM secretary, presiding over all ASM meetings.

Megan Phillips was selected as the Nominations Board Chair.

Morgan Rae was selected as the Shared Governance Chair.

Dolly Wang was selected as the Diversity Committee Chair.

Carter said she wants students to be the focal point of all future ASM agendas in the 21st session.

“I firmly believe that the people at this table are not the people that sent the agenda,” Carter said. “I want the agenda to be set by students. I really truly believe that the work gets done through grass roots committees. I’m hoping that the issues that we work on can bring us together and make it less of a top down approach and more of a collaborative approach.”

ASM members will elect the Legislative Affairs Committee Chair, Sustainability Committee Chair, University Affairs Committee Chair, Press Office Director and the Rules Committee Chair at the next meeting.