In a nearly three hour-long meeting Wednesday, ASG Senate passed legislation that dissolved the parliamentary position of Clerk and appointed Weinberg junior Carly Blumenfeld, who had previously held the position, to the new position of Chief of Staff.
Medill senior Brad Stewart, ASG vice president, proposed a last-minute addition to the agenda that allowed the Senate to vote on the Executive Committee’s recommendation of Blumenfeld for the new spot.
After some light questioning and three public endorsements of Blumenfeld, the Senate unanimously voted her ASG’s first-ever chief of staff. Minutes later, ASG President Victor Shao swore her in.
“I really want to spend time establishing relationships with people who are leaders of this organization,” said Blumenfeld of her goals as chief of staff. “As long as those connections are strong, that will really determine how much success it has … part of bettering [ASG’s] image is having people inside being excited about it.”
The first order of “old business” on which the Senate voted was a constitutional amendment that eliminated the “outdated” position of clerk and created that of chief of staff — an “organizational necessity.”
The Senate also approved the creation of a student groups committee subcommittee that will strive to better serve the vastly growing number of student groups on campus.
Other Senate proceedings included:
- Senators Mike Morgan and Chris Harlow proposed a Service and Community Engagement Grant to be voted on next week that would offer $500 to an individual or student group community service project.
- Weinberg junior Mark Silberg, associate vice president of the ASG Sustainability Committee, discussed the Presidential Climate Commitment, to be voted on next week, that would ask President Morton Schapiro to adopt a plan aimed at bringing Northwestern toward carbon neutrality.
- ASG Academic Vice President Neil Mehta discussed initiatives to work with the NU administration in creating a required environmental literacy course, a school-wide diversity requirement and an Islamic Studies program.