Still without a vice president at its first meeting of the semester, the ASNMU general assembly on Monday,  Jan. 14 consisted primarily of suggestions for the new semester as well as a discussion regarding the open vice president position.

Before the assembly began its discussions, Relevant Campus Ministries adviser Deborah Heino began the meeting with a public comment regarding the potential for a campus organization dedicated to giving students sober rides home on the weekends.

Relevant currently gives free rides to students one weekend per semester, typically Halloween in the fall and St. Patrick’s Day in the spring. Heino said with a handful of committed volunteers, she could likely have an organization up and running by next fall that would give free rides every weekend, and to anywhere in the greater Marquette area.

Heino asked the assembly to spread the word about the program so she might gain enough volunteers to make it possible.

Following the public comments, President Ben Stanley shared a handful of suggestions for the coming semester, proposing, among other things, that the organization gain a larger presence in social media.

He then motioned for the appointment of general studies representative Wesley Reiber to the vice president position, which was rejected by the assembly on grounds of a lack of experience within the organization.

Stanley said after the meeting that such projects as the Bike Share program and responsibilities like establishing committees are a vice presidential responsibility, and he hopes to appoint someone in the next two to three weeks.

Organizing campus committees to be more efficient is also a main focus in the coming weeks, he said, but not much can be done without a vice president in office.

“I’m talking with the marketing and communications office to have a protocol for committees to be entered into a database,” Stanley said. “So that we know what committees we need and what we don’t need anymore, and that will help get students involved in all these different areas.”

Stanley said he would prefer a honest and open-minded individual to fill the vice president position. Above all, and in the midst of much internal conflict, Stanley said he needs someone who is willing to work with him, not against him.

“(If we get) somebody that says ‘I don’t like this rule,’ that’s something I can work with,” he said. “But if someone says ‘I can’t work with him,’ I can’t do anything with that. (We need) someone that is supportive of not only me, but the entire ASNMU body.”