Last year’s Eastern Michigan University Student Body President Antonio Cosme summed up the feeling of many outgoing Student Government members at the Senate transition meeting on Tuesday night.
He apologized for his informal speech by saying, “It’s a lame-duck period, sorry.”
Many of the senators and executive board members who are graduating or who were vacating their seats joked around and reminisced about the past school year.
“I’m almost done. No points of order apply to me,” said former Speaker of the Senate Aaron Jameyson after being called to order by former Student Body Vice President Muayad Mahmoud.
But despite the nostalgic speeches and relaxed atmosphere, many outgoing members of Student Government urged the new members and the those who are staying to look forward with seriousness.
Cosme talked to the Senate about some issues he thinks need to be worked on next year.
“I would like to see Student Government involved with academic affairs,” Cosme said.
He said a more involved role in academic affairs would allow student representatives to have more control and input into problems on the academic side of the university — problems like low retention rates.
Student Body President Jelani McGadney and Student Body Vice President Jeffrey Chicoine were sworn in by Mahmoud.
“I’ve been in the office talking to people about the feel of the office — what they did like and what they didn’t like,” McGadney said. “I’ve been looking into the bylaws — what we feel works and what needs to be revamped.”
McGadney said evaluating the bylaws will strengthen the positions in Student Government and make it run more efficiently.
“One of the things we’re proposing is a chief of staff to actually manage the office,” he said. “Jeff and I are planning things we talked about in our platform. And those specific things like parking, we want to make sure they’re met.
“Jeff and I are committed, and we don’t want to get into office and forget those problems.”
McGadney also warned that next year won’t be easy, mainly because of the state-wide budget cuts.
“This year’s going to be tough on all of us,” McGadney said. “We have a government that is looking at cuts — very deep cuts — and I think it’s going to take all of us to be on the same page to make sure that we have the best feel for ourselves.”
In addition to McGadney and Chicoine being sworn in, the Senate welcomed new members and voted in Senior Senator Jaimar Scott as its new speaker.
“I’ve been planning this for a long time,” Scott told the Senate before they voted on the position. “I’d be the perfect candidate because I’m always open, all the time.”
Scott stressed that, as speaker of the senate, he would make communication more open between the Senate and the student body and provide more oversight to senators who miss meetings and don’t complete their duties.
The other senior senator nominated for the position was Jumanah Saadeh, who stressed her experience of three terms with Student Government.
Scott was voted in by the new group of senators.
The voting was closed, and a total for each nominee was not announced.
