The student senate met this week to vote on a slate of new appointments, including the Student Union Board executive board for the 2026-2027 academic year and several nominations.
Before the SUB vote, senator Max Barton of Carroll Hall briefly objected to moving the item to general orders, which would have allowed the senate to vote on it at the current meeting rather than a later date. Barton later withdrew his objection.
“I was opposed to nominating some specific people for SUB,” Barton said. “I knew it would hurt them if it didn’t get through today, so I knew that objecting to moving it up to today’s vote would delay them.”
Barton said his opposition stems from broader concerns about SUB’s funding.
“Other clubs could better spend that. It’s way too much money,” Barton said.
Despite the initial objection, the Senate approved the SUB executive board. The following students were confirmed for the 2026-2027 academic year: Cash Vaughan, Jessica Toohig and Bliss Ulery as co-directors of programming; Brandon Behnke as director of operations; Alessa Atallah as director of publicity; Juliana Workman as director of art and Raya Keresztes as director of finance.
“Everyone we voted on was approved today, near unanimous,” Riley Evers, student body vice president, said.
The senate also voted to extend the term of the committee on the constitution through the end of the semester, allowing its members to continue serving in an ex officio capacity.
Among the other student government nominations, Michael Mainelli was approved as vice president of operations following support from a senator during deliberations.
Sophomore Aidan Cazalet was approved as vice president of elections. Cazalet has served on the election’s council for two years. Olivia Teodorczak, a freshman studying economics and political science, was confirmed as vice president of advocacy.
In other business, senator Emmanuel Reynoso Sandoval withdrew a resolution to reserve a table for Sorin College in South Dining Hall during the dorm’s annual Secession Week, which commemorates Sorin’s declared independence from the University in 1969.
“I talked to some dining hall workers, and I need more time to work on it or put in the petition later under a different senator,” Reynoso Sandoval said.
