The Michigan Student Assembly held internal elections for committee and commission chairs of the new assembly at Tuesday night”s meeting. These positions, MSA Vice President Jessica Cash said, “do the things that make up the real work of the assembly.”
The groups have responsibilities ranging from funding student groups and lobbying administrators to working on fall break and Wolverine Access issues. Any student is eligible to join an MSA committee or commission. But only elected MSA representatives are eligible to become committee chairs.
During the committee and commission elections, candidates were required to explain their qualifications for the chair and goals for the upcoming semester.
“I want to establish more of a student presence lobbying in Lansing and play more of a role in city of Ann Arbor issues,” said LSA Rep. Zach Slates, External Relations Committee chair.
The Budget Priorities Committee has the responsibility of reviewing applications for student group funding and allocating those funds to student groups.
“We can change BPC and make funding more efficient rolling funding, either weekly, monthly or twice a semester is something I”ve been looking into and want to work on,” BPC Chair David Goldman said.
Some candidates expressed concern that other representatives were choosing commission chairs for political reasons over the candidates” levels of experience.
“I lost to a guy who”s not on our e-mail list and who”s never been to a meeting,” said former Student Rights Co-Chair Rob Goodspeed, who lost his position to Chris Sheehan. “I haven”t done anything especially controversial, so I have an idea it has something to do with party politics.”
Some assembly members said they thought the Peace and Justice Commission chairmanship was similarly awarded.
“Agnes (Aleobua) and I are massively overqualified for this position,” said Rackham Rep. Jessica Curtin. a Peace and Justice co-chair candidate.
“People should vote for the people who will actually do something for student activists and not hold meetings at 2:30 a.m. on Fridays behind Rick”s,” co-candidate Aleobua said, referring to Peace and Justice Co-Chair TJ Wharry”s joking announcement during a previous meeting that he held a committee meeting in an alley behind a bar.
Cash and MSA President Matt Nolan agree that MSA representatives should leave party politics behind them when they walk through the door to MSA.
“I emphasized looking for the best person for the job and I think the assembly did a good job choosing experienced and competent people,” Cash said.
“I”ve heard rumors of reps forming coalitions to stand together against other factions of MSA and that”s ridiculous,” Nolan said. “MSA should examine things issue by issue, not by who”s bringing the issue to the table.”