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Speaker and VP: WSA’s “unorthodox” Confirmation

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Katie King
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Katelyn Kivel
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WMU chapter.

The spot left open by the removal of the Vice President of WSA was filled last week. Majority vote gave the position to the current Speaker Jasmine Neldon.
 

“I chose the candidate who I felt was the best fit for the position. Keeping in mind that there are only eight weeks left under my administration, I picked Jasmine Neldon because we work well together and she is already very active on our executive Cabinet, requiring minimal training for the vice presidential position,” said Erin Kaplan, WSA President.
 
Neldon’s responsibilities have increased now that she is both the Speaker and Vice President.
 
“Not only will I be responsible for filling in for the President in any absence, but I will be holding myself accountable for staying up-to-date with all connections made between the WSA and administration in order to better serve the students in the unlikely event that President Kaplan is unable to attend an event or meeting,” Neldon said. “As Speaker, I have been responsible for educating the Senate about the goings-on at WMU, but as VP, I am responsible for reaching out to the entire student body. I will also attend all WMU Board of Trustees and Faculty Senate meetings, along with any other administrative meetings President Kaplan attends.”
 
Kaplan said Neldon deserved the position for her incredible dedication to the organization this year. In a word, Neldon said that she felt honored to have the position.
 
“I know that the idea of giving a student the authority to serve in two major Cabinet positions, let alone on two separate branches, is very unorthodox, and I’m humbled to know that the Senate has faithfully entrusted me with this responsibility. I’m motivated and determined to serve the students to the best of my ability in both positions,” said Neldon.
 

Although there are only a few weeks until a new President and Vice President will be elected and Kaplan and Neldon will step down, there are still plans for WSA. According to Kaplan, Neldon has two main goals, which are to increase focus on senator appreciation and programming, which would include writing resolutions, and being active in the senate.  
 
“I will be placing primary emphasis on reaching out to the students and bridging the gap between WSA and administration. In my unique position as Speaker and VP, I will have the very special opportunity of seeing the legislative process full-circle, from the voicing of opinions by the students, to the resolution-writing process, to the approval of resolutions, all the way to the execution of the document to administration,” said Neldon.
 
Kaplan said that WSA is lucky to have Neldon in the position and that they are eager to continue their work. Their work will continue until April 2 when the inauguration of the new President and Vice President will occur. Elections for the new positions will be open to students the week of March 19; HC will cover the elections in-deapth as the story unfolds.

Editor: Gena Reist

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Katie King is a senior at Western Michigan University majoring in journalism and minoring in anthropology and gender and women's studies. This will be her second year writing for HerCampus and before that she wrote for the Western Herald. She also wrote for L7 women's magazine in the summer of 2012. In her spare time Katie likes to hang out with friends, watch reruns of old shows and talk about why Chicago is better than Michigan. When she graduates she hopes to move to New York with her tabby cat, Ellie and write for a fashion magazine. However, she changes her mind quite often so who knows where she will end up!
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Katelyn Kivel is a senior at Western Michigan University studying Public Law with minors in Communications and Women's Studies. Kate took over WMU's branch of Her Campus in large part due to her background in journalism, having spent a year as Production Editor of St. Clair County Community College's Erie Square Gazette. Kate speaks English and Japanese and her WMU involvement includes being a Senator and former Senior Justice of the Western Student Association as well as President of WMU Anime Addicts and former Secretary of WMU's LBGT organization OUTspoken, and she is currently establishing the RSO President's Summit of Western Michigan University, an group composed of student organization presidents for cross-promotion and collaboration purposes. Her interests include reading and writing, both creative and not, as well as the more nerdy fringes of popular culture.