In a brief pre-World Series Game Seven game meeting on Wednesday night, ASG confirmed its nomination for a new co-VP of student life and explained legislation for a new ad hoc committee on mental health. The former co-VP of student life, Sumaia Masoom, stepped down to tend to her own mental health two weeks ago, and ASG unanimously nominated sophomore Ben Powell to fill the vacant position.
Powell has been in ASG since he was a freshman, and has already been involved with a number of projects relating to student life--most notably a campaign with NU Real Foods to bring grocery store items to convenience stores across campus. He said he hopes to take the lessons he’s learned from his past projects to his new role.
“I’ve gotten to see the hard work students are doing to improve campus,” Powell said, “and I’ve also gotten to see the real institutional challenges ASG has in helping these students and addressing these concerns.”
ASG Chief of Staff Isaac Rappoport also proposed a new ad hoc committee on mental health. The purpose of the new committee is to extensively research the state of mental health advocacy on campus. Rappoport stressed the new committee would be open to anyone who wants to join, and would not step on the toes of other ASG committees or external organizations also advocating for mental health.
“The goal is to see where we are right now and to talk to all these different stakeholders about how we can advance as a campus,” Rappoport said.
The committee would begin researching in the winter and into spring and would aim to make recommendations by mid-to-late spring. Rappoport acknowledged the ultimate effort for improvement may not be led by ASG, but they hope to contribute what they can. Voting to create the committee will take place in the next few weeks.