Associated Student Government appointed Weinberg junior Margot Bartol as newly created executive officer of accountability in its Wednesday session.
ASG president Christian Wade and vice president Adaeze Ogbona created the position to hold the entire organization and University administration accountable to the student body. Accountability was a central part of Wade and Ogbonna’s campaign platform. They approached Barol with the position after prior conversations around their platform.
“In the past, ASG has had a big problem of making all these promises or trying to do things, but never really following through on it,” Wade said.
In the past year, ASG has taken many steps to reform the organization due to issues with inequity and the exclusion of marginalized students. The Social Justice Education Chair was created last summer and the Ad Hoc Committee to Reimagine ASG was established in January.
Associated Student Government’s new committee addressed goals to improve internal collaboration and communication in its Wednesday session.
Leadership swore in chairs for six committees. ASG President Christian Wade and Vice President Adaeze Obgonna were on the board of ASG members who reviewed applications and the Senate voted on each nomination at Wednesday’s meeting.
Weinberg junior Campbell Schafer will continue as Academics Chair for the third straight year. Weinberg sophomore Cindy Shou will take over as Analytics Committee chair. McCormick freshman Zai Dawodu will be the new Communications Committee chair.
Medill sophomore Julia Karten will chair the Health and Wellness Committee. McCormick freshman Molly Whalen will lead the Policy Research Committee. Weinberg sophomore Sadie Bernstein and Weinberg junior Sara McCoy will co-chair the Sustainability Committee.
Weinberg junior Karina Karbo-Wright was initially hesitant to take on the Associated Student Government position of chair of social justice education and recruitment.
Karbo-Wright said she did not want to be ASG’s designated “cleaning lady” for internal issues of equity. However, after considering her experience and her ability, she changed her mind.
“I realized there needed to be someone who shared my knowledge around how to navigate these spaces,” Karbo-Wright said. “There needed to be someone in ASG who had the capacity and patience to work through (internal equity issues) and provide avenues for learning.”
Her position was only created last summer under former ASG President Juan Zuniga. Zuniga said the role was intended to function separately from the Justice and Inclusion Committee.
SESP junior Christian Wade and Medill sophomore Adaeze Ogbonna won in a landslide election for Associated Student Government’s next student body president and vice president Saturday.
The slate won 80 percent of the votes, defeating Sahibzada Mayed and McKenna Troy in the second virtual election in ASG history, election commissioner Donovan Cusick confirmed. Mayed and running mate Troy won 16 percent of the votes and 4 percent voted no confidence.
This year also saw 1,353 total votes, down from 2,064 in 2020 and up from 852 in the uncontested 2019 election.
“We are truly so happy and grateful and will do our best to serve (the Northwestern community as) chosen leaders,” Wade and Ogbonna said in a statement to The Daily. “Our work is just getting started and we are so excited to see all the ways in which we can make NU a better campus wholly dedicated to the needs of its students.”
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