The Student Assembly elected Janelle Ruley '00 last night as its next vice president to replace Nahoko Kawakyu '99, who resigned from the position last week.
Ruley, who co-chairs the Assembly's Membership and Internal Affairs Committee and ad-hoc Committee on Visions, was selected at last night's meeting, which was closed to the public after a community forum at the meeting's start.
She said she will serve as vice president until the end of Winter term -- approximately two weeks -- but she will not be in residence at the College in the Spring.
She said the Assembly will elect another vice president at the end of this term.
Ruley said she worked closely with Kawakyu on the MIAC, and she hopes her selection will ease the transition for a new executive vice president.
"We have a lot of great members, and I want to keep them working together," Ruley said. "The leadership has [already] done a fantastic job, and I'm not going to come in there and start changing things."
Kawakyu resigned as vice president at the end of last week's meeting, citing the extensive amount of time she devoted to Assembly issues which cut into her personal life.
During her tenure as a member of the Assembly, Ruley has also collaborated with Susan Marine, coordinator of the Sexual Abuse Awareness Program, to improve sexual abuse awareness education on campus.
The outcome of their endeavors, a committee designed to add a sexual abuse awareness educational component to freshman orientation, will begin meeting in the Spring, Ruley said.
During last night's meeting, the Assembly also passed a resolution allocating up to $2,000 to its "Big Green Bikes" program, Ruley said.
The money will be used to maintain and paint the bicycles, which will be available for use by anyone on campus. In addition, the Assembly will create disclaimers for the bicycles.
The Assembly also proposed an amendment to its constitution which would require the president and vice president to be in Hanover or the surrounding areas in during Fall, Winter and Spring, terms but not force them to be enrolled at the College, Ruley said.
She said not enough members were present to pass a constitutional amendment, which can only be added by a vote of three-fourths of Assembly members.
The last time the Assembly held special elections to pick a new vice president was in 1995, when Vice President Rukmini Sichitiu '95 ascended to the presidency to replace Danielle Moore '95, who resigned. John Honovich '97 was voted in as Sichitiu's replacement.
