The new Student Government for fall semester will be sworn in at tonight’s senate meeting, as departing senate members and executives give their final goodbyes.

Several new senate members, as well as an all-new executive board, will be seated at the meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Portia Andrews, a freshman psychology major; Mace Boshart, a freshman pre-med major; Carissa Brooks, a senior speech communication major; Bill Davidson, a freshman undecided major; Donna Fernandez, a sophomore business major; Stephanie Isaac, a sophomore English major; and Nikki Verone, a freshman social science major, all were elected to the senate for the first time last week.

Returning as senate members are: Joe Robbins, a senior political science major; James Paton, a junior economics major, Ashonda Simmons, a junior African-American studies major, Nick Skipitaris, a speech communication major; Corey Wilson, a senior political science major; Jeremy Ewing, a senior business management major; Seth Quin, a family and consumer science major; Tim Edwards, a speech communication major; and Shonda Clancy, a sophomore biological sciences major.

The new executive board includes Hugh O’Hara, a senior political science major, as student body president; Daryl Jones, a senior speech communication major, as student vice president for public affairs; Jen Fanthorpe, a sophomore business major, as student vice president for financial affairs; Jessica Catto, a junior communication disorder and sciences major, as student vice president for academic affairs; and Yve Williams, a junior speech communication major, as student vice president for student affairs.

Many of the new senate members said they were excited about joining Student Government.

“I wish it was fall semester now, so I can get to work on things,” Boshart said. “I’m ready to get to work now.”

Boshart said he would work on many of the issues O’Hara campaigned on, including a CARPOOL system that would allow students to serve as volunteer designated drivers with the hopes of cutting down on drunk driving.

The new senate is made up of smart people who are committed to doing things for the students, he said.

Fernandez also was excited about joining senate.

“I hope I can do a lot for students over the next year,” Fernandez said. “I think all the people (in senate next year) are very qualified.”

Both Boshart and Fernandez said they were not nervous at all about joining Student Government.

Tonight’s meeting also will be the last senate meeting for many Student Government members, including Senate Speaker Adam Weyhaupt, Student Body President Katie Cox, and all four student vice presidents.

Cox said the greatest achievement made by the outgoing Student Government was increased influence with the university on issues that affect the students.

“We have such a huge influence now with the administration and faculty,” she said. “We can get more done for (the students) than we could get done a year ago.”

Cox said even though much of the student body believes Student Government is little more than a “rubber stamp” for administration policy, senate members and executive members achieved greater influence by earning the administration’s trust.

“Then we use that trust to work for the students and prevent bad things from happening,” she said.

Weyhaupt agreed. “After this year, (Student Government’s influence) was much better than we started,” he said.

Weyhaupt said one huge regret he had this year was not acknowledging the contributions made by Student Government members.

“We didn’t do a good job of making sure they got thanks for working with the students,” he said.

Art Davis, outgoing student vice president for student affairs, said each executive officer did a great job this year.

“Katie (Cox) did an excellent job getting faculty to sign the students first contracts, Kristin (Rutter, outgoing student vice president for academic affairs) did an excellent job with scholarships, Joe (Crocker, outgoing student vice president for public affairs) did a great job with the mayoral debate and trying to give students some hand in Charleston issues and Tommy (Brewer, outgoing student vice president for financial affairs) did an excellent job with the budgets,” Davis said.

As for himself, Davis said he was most happy with the Recognized Student Organization fair he organized. However, he wished he could work more to help RSOs.

Davis said he sees a bright future for next year’s Student Government.

“I can see the university in years ahead becoming more powerful, more educational than it is now,” he said. “It has the potential to be on the map for a lot of great things, and it all starts with Student Senate.”