The Student Government Executive Board is having their second major role switch of the year, as Secretary Caitlin Slone will graduate a term early, prompting her replacement by senior Amanda Ico for the last ten weeks of the year.
Ico was appointed two weeks ago by the SGA president and vice president, senior Charlie Bentley and senior Sarah Funke, but Ico’s appointment is awaiting senate approval, set to happen Thursday of week nine.
Slone decided, earlier in the fall, she was going to graduate early and step down from her role as SGA Secretary. She said her reasons were mostly financial, but that it was not ideal for her to decide to leave SGA behind.
Once Slone’s decision to leave was final, the decision of her replacement was to be made. Bentley and Funke were given the decision based on Constitutional law, and ultimately chose Ico as the next Secretary.
“I think Sarah and I both agreed that we wanted someone who was active in the Senate and someone we really trusted with the role,” Bentley said. “We thought that Amanda had really been standing out throughout the past year.”
The Secretary position is not the only role affected by Slone’s departure.
Ico’s promotion means her role as Natural Sciences Representative will have to be filled as well, as her spot as co-chair of the SGA Campus Improvements Committee. So that her fellow committee members don’t feel lost once she leaves, Ico said she has been setting up new projects and discussing with them their decision of choosing a new co-chair.
“I am working with members as well to set up more of a long term project as well as generate ideas for short term goals that they can accomplish,” Ico said.
Ico’s fellow Campus Improvements co-chair had previously been junior Chris Wilson, who recently was elected to the Executive Board position of Speaker. However, adding a second newcomer to the Executive Board does not seem to faze anyone.
“You would think that there would be problems,” Slone said. “But honestly, [Amanda’s] so easy going and Charlie and Sarah are so accommodating to us already as a team that any issues I just see being smoothed over with being any trouble.”
Wilson was elected by the senate as the new Speaker before winter break after his predecessor, Samantha De Forest-Davis, left to spend her final semester studying abroad in Washington D.C. Slone’s departure and replacement works a little bit differently.
The Speaker is a member of the senate and retains voting power, so their appointment to the Executive Board is by senate nomination and election. Other Executive Board positions like Treasurer, Secretary, and Chief of Staff are chosen by Presidential and Vice Presidential nomination and senate approval while President and Vice President are elected by the student body. This means that while Wilson was elected by the senate, Ico will only need to be approved by the Senate.
Bentley said Ico’s appointment was one dependent on trust and involvement. Ico had been in SGA for a few years and is a trusted friend of Bentley. While Slone did not have a say in her replacement, she is not disappointed by the decision.
“I can’t imagine another person filling my position,” Slone said of Ico.
Ico’s transition to Secretary has so far consisted of various meetings with Slone and observation of her role at meetings. Bentley said that during week ten, Ico will begin to overlap her role as Secretary with Slone’s.
“By week one Spring Term,” Bentley said. “Amanda should have everything down pat. She’s a quick thinker and a smart person, so she’ll be good to go.”
Ico, as well as Slone, is a senior and will only be filling the Secretary position for the last ten weeks, only eight of which will have an impact on the proceedings of SGA. For Bentley, that’s part of the reason why she was chosen.
“I think it’s nice to give her a chance to serve in this role before she leaves,” Bentley said.
For Ico, she’s ultimately nothing but honored to even have the opportunity.
“I never imagined myself on the Executive Board,” Ico said. “Although I know I won’t have a super long-lasting effect on the senate as an Executive Board member, I know that I’ll at least be able to help contribute to it, and that’s what I’m most excited about.”
As she plans to move on after graduation, Slone still thinks fondly of her fellow SGA members.
“I have been so lucky to be a part of Student Government,” Slone said. “I’ll miss it, but I don’t worry about them by any means.” Slone, while feeling nostalgic about leaving SGA behind, said she has been applying for jobs in Washington D.C. along with fellowships and internships with the Governor and State House.
Slone spent a semester in D.C. her junior year before De Forest-Davis departed for Washington DC last month.
“If I am headed out that way, I hope to see her,” Slone said about De Forest-Davis.
She even mentioned a possibility of becoming roommates with her former fellow Executive Board member. De Forest-Davis is currently involved in the same D.C. Internship program that Slone participated in the previous year.