SGA elects a new speaker of the senate

Sarah Stukenborg

The Student Government Association voted on a new speaker of the student senate in tonight’s meeting, after the current speaker announced he would not be running again.

Christopher Costa, current speaker of the student senate of SGA, said he felt honored when he was elected by his fellow senators to be the speaker.

“Being speaker has been quite a privilege,” Costa said.

According to Costa, one of the toughest responsibilities of being the speaker is upholding unbiased opinions.

“One of the hardest things about being the speaker is remaining impartial,” Costa said.

Senator Paige Settles, nominated and elected by the SGA senate, will be the new speaker of the student senate. Settles spoke to the senate upon acceptance of her nomination, explaining that due to her past experiences with student congress, she feels capable of taking on the role of speaker.

“I want to assure you that I’m qualified to execute the responsibilities that Chris executed this past year,” Settles stated.

Presidential appointments Roy Ratliff and Jackie Stewart were approved by the senate as well. Ratliff will become a senator-at-large and Stewart an associate justice.

SGA President Cory Dodds announced that he will be attending the quarterly Board of Regents meeting on April 26.

Keyana Boka, executive vice president, said the SGA awards banquet will be held on May 7 in the new Augenstein Alumni Center.

Chief of Staff Travis Taylor announced that plenty of blue books and scantrons are still available for those that need them for the approaching finals week.

“If you have any blue book or scantron needs, you know where to find them,” Taylor said. “Please come get them.”

Friday is the final deadline for summer scholarship applications.

Public Relations Chair Mac Mullins announced that after the recent increase in press surrounding SGA, he was happy to see how many people cared.

“There’s no such thing as bad press,” Mullins said. “It’s a great opportunity to take back student feedback.”