In its last meeting of the semester, Student Senate confirmed Student Body President Gonzalez’s appointees to the executive cabinet.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, Student Senate President Mitchell Moravec called a motion to fast-track certain cabinet appointment selections for the new school year.
Meredith Spence, a third-year doctoral student was appointed to the office of Student Government director of Graduate Student Relations with a unanimous vote. In her appointment hearing, Spence expressed her desire to involve more graduate students in the Student Government process.
“I’m very passionate about getting graduate students more involved with Student Government [and] would absolutely love to increase graduate student participation across all boards,” Spence said.
Madison Maloney, a sophomore studying aerospace engineering, was confirmed as director of the Office of Athletics. She discussed what she believes to be the role of campus athletics in building a community between students.
“One thing about athletics that has always been important to me is how it builds community,” Maloney said. “I think that’s something that’s really special and something we can really improve upon at NC State.”
Dalton Clark, a junior studying political science, was confirmed to the Office of Government Relations Director. Clark explained what his role will be in the upcoming school year.
“[I plan] to act as a sort of liaison to students and working with [state] government officials, informing students about voting, and […] government in general” Clark said.
After debate over the appointment process, Anna Yarbrough, a senior studying applied mathematics, was confirmed to the chair of the Board of Elections. The Senate was divided on the issue of Yarbrough’s election, due to her being the only applicant considered and going through a different process than cabinet nominees. Once debate ended, Yarbrough was elected by a majority of senators.
Logan Graham, a junior studying political science, was elected to the position of chief of staff. Graham, who is studying abroad in Peru, answered questions for the Senate via FaceTime. Graham discussed, what he was looking forward to in the next school year.
“I’m looking forward to making sure Student Government serves the needs of the students as best as [we] can,” Graham said.
When asked if he had any concerns over doing his job from abroad, Graham responded with confidence in his abilities to perform his job, despite his location.
“I really don’t have any concerns to do [my job] from Peru, or my hometown in Colorado,” Graham said.
Alongside the appointments, some of the student body officers spoke about what they hope to accomplish over the summer.
President Jackie Gonzalez discussed her desire to communicate with incoming freshmen and other students during summer orientation.
“One of the things that we’re really excited about is getting more of a presence during orientation,” Gonzalez said. “I know Mia and I and other members of Student Government are going to be on campus, so it’s going to be really great for us to be here and interact with students for orientation and engaging with them throughout the orientation fair.”
Vice President Mia Connell discussed unifying the executive branch of Student Government.
“I’m really excited for setting the foundation for our departments within [the executive branch],” Connell said. “I think starting a strong foundation while setting expectations and goals allows for you to follow up on those throughout the year.”
Treasurer John Taylor Willis discussed wanting to connect with more graduate students on campus.
“One thing that’s really important to me is making sure I can get in touch with some graduate students who are interested in working with Student Government and the treasury, specifically, to see how we can better utilize their fees,” Willis said. “I want to appoint some of them as treasury assistants, and I believe they will be able to provide a lot of experience as well as a perspective that we constantly overlook.”
