Tuesday, April 30, 2024

ASMSU elects new president, vice president for finance and operations, and vice president for academic affairs

April 9, 2024
Connor Le, the ASMSU vice president for internal administration, clarifies bill 60-46 during the ASMSU General Assembly meeting on Dec. 7, 2023 at the International Center.
Connor Le, the ASMSU vice president for internal administration, clarifies bill 60-46 during the ASMSU General Assembly meeting on Dec. 7, 2023 at the International Center.

History and political science junior Connor Le was elected to be the next president of the Associated Students of Michigan State University by the general assembly. 

Le served as vice president for internal administration this school year. Before that, he was a representative for the Asian Pacific American Student Organization. 

Prior to the vote, Le gave a speech to the general assembly in which he said he wanted to focus on justice and transparency as ASMSU president.

“With justice, I want to make sure both our representatives and Office of the President are holding the values that this agency was founded on," Le said. “For transparency, I want to expand our reach to the student body.”

One way Le hopes to prioritize justice is through accountability. Le said previous general assemblies have failed to hold representatives accountable for not representing their colleagues and students correctly. 

In response to this, Le hopes to create an ASMSU judicial branch. He also hopes that the 61st assembly, which was elected last week, will hold its peers accountable. 

When Le finished his speech, the general assembly went into its first closed session of the night and came out with three questions. With attendance being a problem in the 60th session, one representative asked how Le would communicate attendance responsibilities to the 61st assembly.  

“The representatives must know that our attendance form is imperative,” Le said. “We want to improve absences, fix attendance issues and work with representatives who are missing these meetings.”

After the questions concluded, Le was named the new ASMSU president. When the gavel strike made the transition official, president Emily Hoyumpa exited her presidential seat, allowing Le to conduct the remainder of the meeting. 

Next came the vote for vice president for finance and operations. The assembly elected Delaney Jones, a representative from the Broad Business College. 

Like Le, Jones received high praise during public comments. One commenter emphasized Jones' leadership. 

“Delaney is the definition of a leader,” prenursing sophomore Natalie Tobey said. “She leads by example and never passes judgment. I appreciate and recognize her hard work and I hope ASMSU can as well.” 

When Jones took the stand to give her speech, she emphasized that her experience in various groups made her fit for this position. She also shared her values as a leader.

“I want to be a leader who continues to learn, continues to listen and continues to grow,” Jones said. “I want to hear how the services are impacting students, benefiting them and enhancing their experience on campus. Effective and two-way communication is one of the most important values to me and I want to make sure I’m implementing this.” 

After a second closed session, the general assembly asked Jones how to best market and communicate with students, especially in relation to a 2026 vote on tax increases. 

“Something simple like posting flyers or posting things on social media will resonate with students,” Jones said. “People who represent ASMSU must utilize word of mouth and mention these important things to constituents. I want to make sure that the great services that we’re offering are being understood by students instead of them just seeing it.”  

After Jones was elected, the first and only competitive election of the night took place. Both Muslim Student Association Rep. Ahmed Amir and Communications Arts and Sciences Rep. Joshua Ennis faced off for vice president of academic affairs, or VPAA.  

Amir gave his speech first, discussing his skills and plans for the position.

“As your VPAA, I will work tirelessly to identify the areas where MSU is lacking and advocate for changes needed to uplift all students,” Amir said. “I have a passion for creating equity, creating inclusive learning spaces and ensuring that marginalized communities have the resources to reach their full potential.” 

Amir also promised that he would work with other organizations, leaders and deans to push for improvement.

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Lastly, Amir said he wants to bring a welcoming environment to the general assembly and calls for all representatives to bring forth their ideas.  

After closed session, the general assembly asked Amir five questions. One representative asked Amir how he’ll handle outreach to the entire student body, not just the general assembly. 

“I think town halls are very important,” Amir said. “There's a chance to invite students into those town halls so people know what ASMSU is offering while creating that dialogue between students and the general assembly.” 

Having these town halls allow students to finally understand what ASMSU does while creating a successful hub for communication, Amir said.

Once the questions finished, Amir exited the room while Ennis entered, and the general assembly repeated the same process. Ennis took the stand to give his speech. 

“There are three major things that I am going to try to provide in this role and that's leadership, communication and help with the general assembly,” Ennis said. 

Ennis highlighted the importance of allowing student voices to be heard and pushing administrators and faculty to pass legislation. 

Ennis’ speech concluded with him giving props to the general assembly and the hard work that it's contributed, while saying that he believes he can push the assembly to positively grow even more. 

When questions opened up for Ennis, one representative asked him what academic advocacy he has been involved in. 

“One piece of advocacy that I’ve really been focused on is the Red Cedar River and trying to pull out the scooters,” Ennis said. “The Red Cedar is a landmark of the university, and MSU hasn’t taken the time or the responsibility to fix the problem of the pollution within it.” 

Ennis promised to continue this advocacy.

Ennis also hopes to build communication between other student groups, allowing ASMSU to be known to all. 

When the questions concluded, Ennis exited the room and the general assembly had its final closed session to vote for the next VPAA. 

The assembly elected Amir to be the next vice president of academic affairs.

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