Colorado Robertson and Shannon Bates were sworn in Monday night as the Student Government president and vice president for the 2008-2009 academic school year. Cassie Alsfeld and Josh King officially relinquished their duties as SG president and vice president, respectively, after the Oath of Office was administered. University Court Chief Justice Mark Hill swore in about 50 new senators before Robertson and Bates’ installation. SG Vice President Bates said the leaders elected already started the ball rolling with achieving some initiatives. And she announced her big focus for next year – talking to student organizations. “We’ve met with numerous administrators this week to accomplish our initiatives,” Bates said. “My door is always open and I am open to any advice that you can give or comments.” Former Senate Speaker Pro Tem Ben Clark’s chair wasn’t emptied for long after his opponent in the race for speaker – Drew Prestridge – won the seat by defeating Sen. Brett Jackson, College of Arts and Sciences. Clark defeated Prestridge for the position of Senate speaker in a 25 to 17 vote, while Prestridge later swept the race for speaker pro tem in a 31 to 13 vote. Three senators abstained from voting for speaker with only one abstention for speaker pro tem. Several senators stressed Prestridge’s dedication and passion for SG during their speeches to persuade the Senate to elect him as speaker pro tem following his defeat for speaker position. During their nomination speeches, both Prestridge and Jackson said they want to do a complete overhaul of the SG Constitution and SG Election Code. “Things do need to be fixed, and the Constitution needs to be updated,” Prestridge said. “One thing I want to do over the summer is get all the documents lined up and be consistent.” After Prestridge swept the race, he said he is more than willing to work under Clark to make the changes needed to improve SG. “We will make an amazing team,” Prestridge said. Before the Senate elected Clark and Prestridge, Robertson announced plans to make SG branch cohesion a reality during the summer. He said he wants to determine ways the legislative and executive branches can work together to achieve big initiatives. The Senate unanimously enrolled Robertson’s Executive Order with one abstention before adjourning. The Senate will vote on the charter and Robertson’s executive staff appointments during their Wednesday meeting.
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