The 49th Legislature of the Emory Student Government Association (SGA) gathered for the first time on Monday evening, marking the transition between new and old SGA regimes.
SGA also elected Sophomore Representative and College sophomore Crystal McBrown as its Speaker of the Legislature for the upcoming year after a quick vote.
College junior and new SGA President Raj Tilwa was sworn in at the meeting as the outgoing president, College junior Jon Darby, looked on.
There was little to discuss at the meeting, which was largely ceremonial. However, the one important procedure that took place was a vote to determine who would replace outgoing Speaker of the Legislature and Goizueta Business School senior Luke Bucshon.
McBrown and SGA Sophomore Representative and College sophomore Cameron Duncan were the only members of SGA who ran for the position, and they both gave brief speeches explaining their credentials and advertising what they would do if they were elected.Duncan emphasized the importance of improving the attendance at SGA meetings, and he said that he would make this a priority by focusing on transparency and accountability.
McBrown, meanwhile, highlighted her passion for the community and her experience as a legislator. Both candidates then left the room, and a brief debate took place during which SGA members discussed the merits of the respective candidates.
Darby also gave a short description of what the job of Speaker entails.
“The Speaker sits on both the Executive and the Legislature, so it’s a very unique role,” Darby said. “The Speaker works to assemble the agenda, control the flow of meetings and conduct them. They have to verify that legislation is writing correctly and little technicalities like that. It’s an important role.”
After a short period of deliberation, the vote was held, and the majority of SGA members selected McBrown to be Speaker. Bucshon handed over his gavel to McBrown, and she then used it to adjourn the meeting.
