Ingrid De La Torre, who was elected Student Government Association president last spring semester, was appointed by the senate on Feb. 7 after resigning due to a “technicality.”
Three new senators were also appointed during the meeting.
Asked what technicality resulted in her resignation, Torre replied during a telephone interview last Tuesday, “I guess I can try to give you as much information as I can. I did have to resign my position, I’m pretty sure [Senate Chair] James [Riojas] probably told you, because of some technicality in our constitution.”
Torre resigned from her position Feb. 1.
With the president’s position vacant, the current vice presidents and chair of the senate may be appointed, according to the SGA Constitution. Vice Presidents Roy Cantu (Brownsville), Alexandra Smith-Macias (Edinburg) and Riojas all declined the position.
During the meeting, Torre, who did not attend but was present via telephone, was first sworn into office as senator at large for Edinburg and then was nominated for president by Yaw Sam, senator for the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship in Edinburg. Torre accepted the nomination and then the senate voted to appoint her as president.
The senate then approved the appointment of Pedro Dominguez as senator for the College of Engineering and Computer Science in Brownsville, and Roberta Nelson as senator for the Graduate College in Edinburg.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Nelson told The Rider after the meeting. “I can’t wait to get started.”
In other SGA news, the deadline to apply for candidacy in the SGA elections was Sunday. No date for the elections has been set, according to Jodie Dominguez, director of Leadership and Mentoring and SGA elections committee adviser.
All candidates are required to attend a meeting on Tuesday, in which election guidelines will be reviewed and photos will be taken for the ballot.
The available positions in the executive branch are president and vice presidents for Brownsville and Edinburg.
In the legislative branch, 40 positions are available: four academic senators for each college, four graduate senators and eight senators at large for Brownsville and Edinburg.
For the executive branch, undergraduate and graduate students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the time of application or appointment. Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA per semester, and graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA per semester while holding office.
In the legislative branch, undergraduate students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA cumulative at the time of application and appointment and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA per semester. Graduate students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA cumulative at the time of application and appointment and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA per semester.
Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 12 semester credit hours at the time of application and during their term of office unless within 11 credit hours of graduation during the last semester of their current term.
Graduate students must be enrolled in at least six semester credit hours at the time of application and during their term of office unless within three credit hours during the last semester of their current term.
Applicants must also complete 75% of attempted course work per semester.
Sam said joining the SGA last year was one of the best things he has done since coming to UTRGV.
“It’s opened a lot of opportunities for me,” he said. “Having the opportunity to work with the university administration, to work with the dean of my college, I think it helped me build myself as a leader.”
Sam said one of the biggest things that students do not know about the SGA is that no experience is needed to join.
“It’s helped me with communication skills and leadership skills in general,” he said.
Riojas is excited to see who wins the elections and what the SGA is going to look like next year.
“Competition is always exciting,” he said. “I’m really hoping to see debates.”
Riojas suggests that students applying to be candidates should show their personality and be themselves but also show professionalism.
“People like to vote for other people and not … robots in suits,” he said.
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