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By Jess Hodge

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Grand Valley State University’s student senate appointed three new members to three separate committees during the general assembly meeting Sept. 24. The senate is not yet full, but the cabinet hopes to fill the remaining positions by the end of this week and appoint them during next week’s general assembly.

Alan Carter was appointed to the campus affairs committee, Amela Mandzukic joined the educational affairs committee and Emily Chapski was appointed to the senate resources committee.

Before the senate voted, Vice President for senate resources Lawrence Williams took this opportunity to give a brief background of each person.

“He’s a super charismatic and friendly guy,” Williams said about Carter. “He was involved in his high school’s National Honor Society, Interact club, Spear club, student government and student advisory committee.

“He is a public relations officer for the Laker Village programming council E-board, and he’s so excited to be a part of student senate.”

Williams was equally as excited about the other potential senators as well.

“She is a first-year transfer student from Sterling Heights, and she’s a junior starting the science in special education,” he said about Mandzukic. “She’s raised money to send to Bosnia, a war torn country and also helped fundraisers for sick children across the country and locally.

“She’s competed at the International Children’s Festival every year in high school and was also on the soccer team.”

Mandzukic did well in her interview, and the senate thought she would be a great addition to the body.

“Emily was involved in both athletics and extra-curricular activities,” Williams said. “She was a member of the National Honor Society and a member and editor-in-chief of her school yearbook and a member of students against destructive decisions.

“She is currently involved in the running club but plans to join other organizations such as the Genetic counseling organization and students leaving a mark and also Greek life.”

Williams noted that all three interviewees did very well in their interview and expressed his excitement to add them to student senate. Other senators snapped in agreement.

“I got to sit in on all three of these interviews last night for their second interview, and I just wanted to say that as a senior member in senate, I am so excited that we are adding such ambitious people to the body,” said Jewel Haji of campus affairs. “Since they’re all younger and newer to Grand Valley, that means that the future of the senate is in good hands.”

With no objections, the motion passed, and all three were officially appointed to their respective committees. 

After appointing the new senators, the senate went on to address the officer reports. President Maddie Cleghorn mentioned the mobile Secretary of State that will be on campus Oct. 14-15 by AuSable Hall. They will help people register to vote and teach students how to fill out an absentee ballot.

Vice President of Public Relations Ella Fritzemeier talked about the student senate’s new Instagram @GVstudentsenate.

Andrew Oeffner, vice president of external affairs, talked about trying to get the bus routes extended to popular places that GVSU students would need, such as Family Fare.

Guest speakers Dr. Jesse Bernal, vice president of Inclusion and Equity, and Theresa Rowland, the Title IX coordinator, came to talk about new revisions being made to the Title IX policy and about the upcoming campus climate survey.