Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) held its first internal elections of the year on Tuesday, Sept. 17, electing two students to both the steering and student trustee selection committees.
The steering committee members aid senators in their creation of bills and then decide which bills should be voted on by the members of the senate.
Academic Senator Ben Waugh, Off-Campus Senator Ben Finfrock and On-Campus Senator Ryan Barr accepted nominations for the steering committee. The three senators then gave speeches expressing why they each wanted the open spots.
Waugh said his connections with the administration and university faculty will help him on the steering committee.
Finfrock said he wants to create a process to push legislation through to the university administration once it has been passed through the senate. One of Finfrock’s ideas involved working closely with the Secretary for Communications and Media Relations.
Barr said he wants to form a better connection between ASG and the Miami administration.
Senate chose Waugh and Finfrock to join the steering committee.
Student trustee selection committee members are responsible for choosing in-state students to serve as non-voting members on the university’s Board of Trustees (BoT). The committee, which is made of eight members of ASG and the two current student trustees, will interview all applicants for the position and choose five names to send to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. He then decides which student will become the next student trustee.
Senators nominated Academic Senator Sinait Sarfino, Off-Campus Senator Shelby Frye, On-Campus Senator Maxwell Hessling and Academic Senator Julia Koenig to run for the open positions.
Sarafino said she aims to increase the interview time for the candidates to get to know each of them on a personal level. She added that by not having an ideal imagine for a candidate prior to interviews will allow her to keep a more open mind and make decisions more fairly.
Frye said she is willing to put in the work, understands the keys to diverse involvement at Miami and has the listening skills required to choose the next student trustee.
Hessling said he wants to find students to serve on the committee who have a worldly point of view and possibly candidates that currently reside in Ohio but have also lived elsewhere.
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Koenig, a fifth year senior, felt qualified since she has spent the most time at Miami.
After hearing from all four candidates, senate elected Sarafino and Frye to join the committee.
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