The Student Government Association legislative bodies, the Senate and Finance Board, elected new representatives to lead both houses this week.

At its first meeting on Monday, Jan. 30, the SGA Senate found that not only its formal leader, the Speaker of the Senate, had resigned for personal reasons, but also two more seats were vacant due to resignations.

The remaining Senators took it upon themselves to in-house elect an Interim Speaker to lead the group until the vacancies are filled and a more permanent leader chosen.

Nominated and running unopposed, Hamza Siddiqui was elected the new Interim Speaker. Among powers granted to the Speaker, Siddiqui has the authority to appoint new Senators to fill the vacancies, though these nominations are subject to the bodies’ approval.

The SGA Finance Board, at its first meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31, found itself in a similar situation: with three vacancies.

The new Chair of the Finance Board, Michelle Kuah, however, was ahead of the game. Kuah had already chosen the students she wished to appoint to fill vacancies.

After votes for each position, Yasmin Wands was approved as the Finance Board Secretary, and Ebony Tongo and Kian Larijani were elected as the newest Finance Board Representatives.

As the semester began little more than a week ago, the Student Government Association’s Senate picked up business right where it left off.

Monday, Jan. 30 marked the Senate’s first formal meeting of the semester. After a discussion regarding electing an Interim Speaker –the formal leader of the Senate– the Senate took up its business as usual.

One of the primary functions of the Senate is, besides communicating with the undergraduate student body, to initiate action to improve students’ experiences here at UMBC. To better wrap up last semester, newly elected Interim Speaker Hamza Siddiqui guided a reflection session of past initiatives and looking ahead to what initiatives could be pursued this semester.

Among initiatives brought forward were taking aim at non-traditional student benefits and how there apparently aren’t many; a preliminary discussion concerning more bus trips to New York for students; transparency regarding university fees and budgets; and hosting a forum to further discuss and explain the move to Higher One.

(What initiatives would you like to see the SGA Senate take up this semester?)

To that end, the Senate discussion moved towards other functions the body can take up this semester. “[There] isn’t a lot that Senate is tasked with, so it has the power to do whatever it wants,” Interim Speaker Siddiqui said during the meeting.

After discussions seemed to stall, the group took up nominations from the SGA President and Executive Vice President, Catie Collins and Dylan Cook (respectively), for vacant positions in the executive branch. Considering legislation to be approved is another primary function the Senate.

Junior Nathan Rehr, who has served previously in the Department of Environmental Affairs in SGA, was nominated and confirmed as the Executive Assistant to the President. Rehr’s position is designed to assist the President and Executive Vice President in scheduling and attending meetings, among other duties.

In addition, Meghan Carpenter, a sophomore, was nominated and unanimously confirmed as the new Director for the Department of Community and Government Affairs.

Finally, sophomore Caitlyn Leiter-Mason was nominated to serve as the Election Board Chair. The Election Board Chair is the student charged to oversee the planning and execution of the SGA elections that will occur later this semester. Though the Senate approved Leiter-Mason, the Finance Board must also approve her nomination before she is confirmed.