At last night’s pair of Michigan Student Assembly meetings — one featuring goodbyes from departing representatives and one welcoming new representatives to the assembly — MSA introduced a resolution to endorse the implementation of transcript and audit system reform for cross-college dual degree and degree minor students through Wolverine Access.
The resolution would aim to address some of the unique logistical challenges cross-college dual degree students face when using Wolverine Access.
Arshabh Sarda, an Engineering and Business dual degree student, discussed the resolution during the community concerns portion of the first meeting.
Sarda said students like himself who are pursuing degrees in two colleges at the University often struggle because they don’t receive comprehensive advising that spans the two colleges.
Sarda added that dual degree students often have trouble retrieving their academic information on Wolverine Access, citing issues viewing separate GPAs highlighting coursework in two different schools and trouble verifying program requirements.
At the meeting, MSA representative Kyle Summers endorsed the implementation of a transcript and audit system reform for cross-college dual degree and degree minor students through Wolverine Access.
MSA says goodbye to outgoing representatives, ushers in new representatives
MSA members also welcomed new members of the executive board of officers as well as new representatives after the final assembly meeting of the current representatives last night.
Current MSA executive officers will still be attending the meetings of the new assembly and will be available to provide guidance and input for the newly elected representatives.
Representative DeAndree Watson will now serve as the interim speaker and Representative Sean Walser will serve as interim vice speaker of the assembly.
The new legislative branch positions of interim speaker and interim vice speaker positions were internally elected by MSA on Nov. 16 just before the MSA elections.
Based on the new compiled code that was adopted in November, MSA President Chris Armstrong will no longer preside over assembly meetings, instead the speaker and vice speaker will assume the role. Armstrong will continue to attend the meetings, however, and provide a more advisory role to the assembly.
“I’m excited, of course, and I’m really excited to have met all of the representatives,” Watson said in an interview after the meeting. “They all seem like they have a good head on their shoulders and they really want to do some big stuff for campus. Really, for me, I just want to help (the new representatives) any way I can.”
Along with the MSA representatives that will remain on the new assembly, current president and vice president, Christopher Armstrong and Jason Raymond, will remain in their executive positions on MSA.
In an interview following the first meeting of the new assembly, Armstrong said he thinks the new legislative branch positions on the assembly will help members have their voices heard more clearly.
“In terms of the transition with the new speaker, I think it’s a (really) positive change…in a lot of ways it will make the assembly feel more independent and…encourage debate,” Armstrong said.
He added that previously having the executive board at the front of the MSA meetings might have had an imposing feeling.
In the farewell meeting of the current body of executives and representatives, departing MSA members had the chance to share parting words regarding their experiences on the assembly.
In his remarks to the assembly, Armstrong commended the departing MSA representatives for their efforts on the assembly and challenged the new representatives, noting they will have big shoes to fill.
“I think (the new representatives are) all really bright people,” Armstrong said in an interview after meeting. “From who I’ve met they really have a lot of really good projects that they’re really interested in.”