Eric Reath was unanimously re-elected as speaker of the Undergraduate Senate in the first session of the Sixth Undergraduate Senate last Sunday.
Reath, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, was unanimously elected to continue working as speaker for the sixth session.
He first stepped up as the speaker of the senate April of last year, in wake of the controversies regarding the spring elections and the resignation of former speaker Amanda Merkwae.
Merkwae was speaker during the spring 2009 elections. During the elections SG presidential candidate Nirvana Habash was kicked off the ballot twice for violations in posting campaign-related messages on non-campaign related mediums, The Eagle previously reported.
Amanda Merkwae resigned from her position as speaker of the Undergraduate Senate via e-mail after the election results were certified.
"I can no longer associate my name with an organization that chooses convenience over ethical conduct," Merkwae wrote.
The speaker of the Undergraduate Senate is the chief administrator and advocate of the senate who set standards on legislation and promotes passed legislation to the administration and other SG departments, according to Reath.
Reath said he wants to promote a sense of community and unity within the organization.
"Something I want to end this year definitely is the history of a very negative working relationship with the executive branch," Reath said.
Reath said there were a number of senators last year who did not believe that working with the SG executives was important to the Senate.
Reath said the original Clean Energy Revolving Fund Bill caused significant conflict between the Senate and the executive branch.
The bill was vetoed by former President Andy MacCracken after approval by the Senate. There should have been a meeting to go over the bill beforehand, Reath said.
Reath hopes to change this by fostering a working relationship between the two parties to get more accomplished.
Additionally, Reath hopes to build a community within the senate in which senators view each other as people, not just as potential opponents.
"The sixth Undergraduate Senate is in a great place to step up," Reath said. "We have the greatest opportunity to advocate for the students of American University."
amooney@theeagleonline.com
