Where in the world is Senator Bailey?

ASPSU senators Justin Myers and Jim Jackson went on the hunt yesterday to track down fellow senator Adam Bailey and removed him from class in order for the student senate to make quorum.

At the new senate’s first official meeting since being elected into office, senators suspended the rules in order to vote to approve senate appointments.

Reina Abolofia, Golden Ashby, Rachel Searle and Matt Wallace were all unanimously approved to seats on the senate, after their nominations were announced in a letter from ASPSU president Amara Marino.

The four newly approved senators were appointed after confusion about their candidacy put their elected positions into question.

None of them attended the required candidate orientation, which, according to a ruling by the former Evaluation and Constitutional Review (E&CR) committee based on the Elections Committee bylaws, is grounds for disqualification.

Whether the E&CR’s ruling is the final say in regards to elections violations is still uncertain. The senate has been operating cautiously, assuming that the E&CR’s ruling holds.

However, yesterday, when the senate was initially short of quorum by one member, Wallace suggested assuming that the E&CR’s ruling did not hold.

Sen. Nathan Pawlicki urged the senate not to take this course of action, however, and cited various problems that occurred in last year’s senate when assumptions were made.

When Myers and Jackson returned with Bailey, the senate settled down and made a motion to suspend the rules and unanimously approved all four senate appointments.

While the rules were still suspended, the senate also approved Sen. Christy Harper to serve on the Student Fee Committee (SFC) until July 1, filling the slot left vacant when Marino took office.

Harper was elected to serve on next year’s SFC, as well.

Also, Erin Devaney, an ASPSU intern since winter term, was approved to serve on the SFC next year.

The senate nominated Abolofia, Harper and Stacey Rustad for pro-tempore and will vote on those positions at their next meeting.

The senate also approved Marino’s appointment of Michael-Sean Kelley to the E&CR.

Kelley served on the E&CR last year, as well as being a former senator.

At the next senate meeting, they will vote to approve two senators to positions on the E&CR. Those currently nominated are Pawlicki, Wallace, Jackson and Jennifer Schmidt.

Also at the next meeting, the senate will make and hear nominations for positions on the various standing committees.