The Downtown campus’ undergraduate student government approved eight new senators and two new executive board members at its meeting on Friday.
There are still two senate seats open for University College and two for the School of Letters and Sciences.
The Downtown campus’ undergraduate student government is officially called ASASUD, but was rebranded in a vote by the President’s Council to be called USG Downtown and will henceforth be referred to as USG Downtown.
President Joseph Grossman, a criminal justice junior, said four senators left over the summer because they couldn’t commit enough time to their student government duties. The exodus left only four senators in the 16-seat senate prior to the Friday meeting.
"It was disappointing seeing a lot of our senate drop out,” Grossman said.
Grossman said the interview process gave him and the senate the opportunity to screen applicants before nominating and approving them as opposed to the normal election process where senators run for election without senate confirmation.
The new local affairs director and six of the eight new senators are all freshmen students.
Juniors filled one seat for the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion and one seat for the College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
This is the first year that USGD has created a local affairs director position to help develop ASU’s relationship with businesses surrounding the Downtown campus.
Nonprofit and leadership management freshman Michael Homan said he was selected as Local Affairs Director because he spent many of his pre-college weekends in downtown Phoenix and was familiar with area. Initially Homan applied as a freshmen senator but was selected for the executive board position based on his resume and interview.
The senate also approved journalism junior Taylor McArthur to be the new vice president of policy and the Arizona Student Association director. In this position he will have to advocate on behalf of students at the state Legislature. The president appoints an applicant to this position every fall, Grossman said.
McArthur said his work for U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., prepared him to fill his position because it taught him how to follow education bills through the legislature.
Dietetics junior Rachel Cassinat, the new senator for the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, said she found out about the open position when she applied for money for the Student Nutrition Council. Cassinat said she was excited to work with the new senators and felt she brought a different perspective to the senate.
“I hope to bring a more experienced voice to the senate because I have been on this campus for three years and seen it grow,” Cassinat said.
Nursing junior Danielle Sandler, the new senator for the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, said she was excited to have so many freshmen in the senate.
“It’s good because they are fresh and they are going to have great ideas,” Sandler said.
Reach the reporter at mshinn@asu.edu
