It's been a busy semester for many of us here at Not David Husband. And it's been a busy semester for the SA so far.
- Not two weeks after the NDH post on speculation as to who in the Student Assembly Senator (now President-elect) Barack Obama would tap as his vice presidential candidate, one of his prospective partners became mired in scandal. Former SA president, vice president, and senator Zach Pilchen '09 resigned upon the revelation that he had mistakenly engaged in personal use of SA funds over the summer. Wawa and the New Town movie theater were beneficiaries of this money, which was raised in SA fundraisers like refrigerator and microwave rentals. (On a surprise note, Obama ended up tapping an obscure US senator, Joe Biden, who seems to have no connection whatsoever to the SA.)
- After Pilchen offered his apologies to the student body and left his position as SA vice president, President Valerie Hopkins ('09) appointed then-Vice President for Advocacy Kristin Slawter ('09) to succeed Pilchen as SA vice president. Slawter was speedily confirmed by the Senate, garnering praise for Hopkins for her pick of a smart, experienced woman. Many had also worried that Hopkins would choose a rising star in the SA, effectively trying to appoint her own successor. The largely apolitical Slawter pick reassured those onlookers as to President Hopkins's concern for the student body over petty politics.
- The freshman class (2012) elected its first slate of class officers and senators. They elected President Kobie Gordon, VPA Jackie Stykes, Vice President for Social Affairs Nicole Skarpness, Secretary Stephanie McGuire, and Treasurer Xiaoyu Guo. Joining the Clown Show were Ben Battaglia, Stef Felitto, Tom Flaherty, and Betty Jeanne Manning. I don't really know these kids. I know that Manning is a nice young woman prone to philosophical musings. And I met Flaherty at a party but I don't remember anything about him except his very Irish name, which I like but I didn't need to meet him in person to get.
- Meanwhile, senior class President Kevin Dua ('09) appoi -- oh wait. He didn't appoint anyone to fill the spot of Kristin Slawter. This neglect of Dua's constitutional duties leaves the senior class without its second most important class officer. By default, VPSA Samantha Fien-Helfman is next in the line of succession. Apparently, by strength of charisma and the ludicrously high number of "co-chairs" of the Senior Class Gift committee (at last count, somewhere around 76), Dua expects the Class of 2009 to perform to potential while shorthanded in the Senior Class Gift fundraiser. Well. It's a good thing the College isn't short on money or anything.
- The Senate has probably done some things, but I haven't heard of them. I take that back. They voted to spend almost a thousand dollars in student money to stock the campus with paper copies of The Onion. Now don't get me wrong, we at NDH love The Onion, but we don't love paying for things we can get for free. So thank you to Senator Ben Brown ('11) for spending my money on that. Hey Senator Brown, the next time you're writing a bill, could you pick me up some, oh, I don't know, air or something? Thanks.
- To my knowledge, the Undergraduate Council has not done things, and if it has, I haven't heard of them. That's probably okay, since the Council never does anything to begin with. And hey, cut them some slack -- they're working shorthanded here.
- Negotiations between the SA and the City of Williamsburg over the three-person rule broke down when an anonymous SA member leaked to The Flat Hat the details of the City's proposed revisions. The City's new and "improved" three-person rule would allow a fourth unrelated person in a home, provided the house met size restrictions and its occupants consented to investigations upon demand to check on compliance with the new rule. It seems the informant, recognizing how poor the deal was, meant to derail the negotiations on purpose in so leaking. We at NDH salute him or her for not allowing the City to pull one over on the student body.
- Through covert "nonpartisan" action, the SA rigged the US presidential election in Williamsburg for Barack Obama. And I'm glad they did!
- I remembered something else the Senate did. President Hopkins finally corrected her predecessor's negligence in failing to appoint a complete Review Board, in an attempt to prevent checks and balances on his power, by elevating Associate Justice Billy Mutell ('09) to the Chief Justice position. And the Senate confirmed him. The Senate also confirmed Hopkins's appointments for three new associate justices, Sammy Hamididdin ('09), Cecilia Hylton ('12), and Tristan Leavitt (Law '11).
- Since their first day of orientation (if not before), certain members of the Classes of 2010 and 2011 have been anticipating and plotting for the 2009 SA general election. NDH will, of course, be your source for gossip, chatter, and rumblings about that election. Stay tuned for more posts. The short version? The leading contenders for the presidential spot are Senators Ross Gillingham ('10) and Sarah Rojas ('10). Both of these candidates were predicted over 8 months ago in NDH's inaugural post. However, NDH has heard little to no chatter about class President Ali Snell ('10) necessarily on Rojas's ticket. You can bet we'll be the first to let you know if anyone even thinks of it!
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Lovingly,
KY
