Run-off elections today to decide president, SSVP

The competitive 10-member race has narrowed down to four more candidates that students will have to decide.  Who will it be: Mark Crain or Neal Sales-Griffin?  Nate Perkins or Hariharan ‘Harry’ Vijayaraghavan?  Vote on NU Link today until 8 p.m.

Check out The Daily for more up-to-date coverage.

—ALICE TRUONG

Financial vice president application due Wednesday

The deadline for the financial vice president application is fast approaching.  All those interested should e-mail their applications by Wednesday, Feb. 6 to current Financial Vice President Aneesa Arshad, who will be the chairwoman of the selection committee.

SESP junior Neal Sales-Griffin was recently elected to the selection committee as a member of the Senate on Wednesday's meeting, saying he was looking for someone passionate best for the job.

As of Wednesday evening, Arshad said she has not received any applications for the position, which was in charge of funding more than $900,000 to 44 A-status student groups this past Spring Quarter.  Arshad said she expects a minimum of two applications based on the inquiries she has received.

More to come on The Daily print edition soon.

—ALICE TRUONG

Financial Vice President selection committee

Neal Sales-Griffin has experience as a leader with International Student Business Education. He says he has good judgment, he can manage, but none of those skills he can list on a resume can really explain why he’s best for the job.

“The most important thing is passion,” the SESP junior said, “passion for ASG, for Northwestern.”

Five individuals in the Associated Student Government have been nominated for the financial vice president selection committee: Weinberg junior Aamna Anwer, SESP junior Neal Sales-Griffin, Weinberg junior Will Upton, Weinberg junior Allison Cook and SESP senior Ivy LeTourneau. Weinberg sophomore Samir Pendse was nominated but declined, saying he didn't have enough time to dedicate to the job, which would require about five hours per week, according to current Financial Vice President Aneesa Arshad, a SESP senior.

Sales, a SESP junior, has been elected by the ASG senate to the position, making him one of six members to vote on the new financial vice president.

Neal Sales-Griffin has experience as a leader with International Student Business Education. He says he has good judgment, he can manage, but none of those skills he can list on a resume can really explain why he’s best for the job.
“The most important thing is passion,” the SESP junior said, “passion for ASG, for Northwestern.”

"We just want good people," Sales said. "We want good passionate people making good judgment."


—ALICE TRUONG

Tracking ASG for Winter Quarter

The Daily is working to create an ASG tracker project, in essence noting every proposal for Winter Quarter and every time there's an update to it.  Hopefully, the Northwestern community will be able to easily access information in an easy-to-consume format.

For the time being, there is a simple list.  In due time, this will turn into something more comprehensive.

ASG meeting 1: Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008

• ASG President Jon Webber's executive board obligations.  There will be three responsibilities for each of the 12 executive board members for the quarter.  (The progress for this will probably be tracked separately.)
  
• ASG Clerk James D'Angelo working for "political freedom" on campus, as Senate Speaker Jesse Garfinkel described it at the meeting.  The Communication junior has been working with the Internal Revenue System and the General Counsel to try to allow students and student groups to assemble and endorse political candidates using university resources.
  
• Neal Sales-Griffin and senator reliability.  The SESP junior wants to increase communication between senators and their constituents.
  
• Steve Eilers and the external relations committee pushing to create a Web site for off-campus housing reviews.
  
• RHA wanting to sponsor more community-oriented events, such as firesides.
  
• External relations committee working to create a weekend Chicago shuttle to deter excessive drinking as a result of lack of entertainment options.
  

ASG meeting 2: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008

• (Update 1 on Shuttles) The external relations committee was going to present a bill to Senate to put up a poll on NU Link to gauge student interest for the shuttle.  Because of scheduling conflicts, which senators later learned to be caused by sorority rush, the external relations committee didn't meet before the Senate meeting.  Thus, there was no bill to present at the meeting.  External relations committee Chairwoman Kate Pascale said a bill isn't needed for polls, and it was only done in the past as an extension of senatorial courtesy. Pascale also told The Daily that evening the poll would be posted the following day, Thursday, Jan. 17, but as of now, the only thing resembling a poll on NU Link's home page is a dated survey about student satisfaction with university services.
  

The above also provides a nice synopsis of the previous two meetings.  There was no Daily story that ran last Thursday detailing the meeting because editors didn't feel it would fill 10 inches (which is about 500 words).  From here on after, ASG reporting will focus more on blogging, but stories will still run when Senate does something particularly noteworthy. 

In addition to tracking bills/ideas presented during Senate meetings, The Daily hopes to track senator attendance and Webber's executive board goals.  Keep checking this blog for updates on all these different ASG trackers.

—ALICE TRUONG