The Associated Student Body Senate confirmed 58 students into positions across each of its branches and elected Wesley Templet as president pro tempore for the 2025-26 term during its meeting on Tuesday, April 29.
New legislative council positions
ASB Vice President Walker Jacklin released a legislative branch clarification memo on April 17, detailing the expansion of the legislative council to include five new advisory positions, bringing the total from eight in the Council to 13.
According to the ASB Code, the legislative council, overseen by Jacklin, serves as advisers to the branch and collaborates with senators. The memo details the reasons for the expansion and the duties of the upcoming legislative council.
“The expansion stems from two important points, the first is a matter of visibility and impact,” Jacklin said in his memo. “When asked what (ASB) has done for them, many students struggle to name a single initiative.”
The second, more internal purpose for the legislative council expansion is collaboration. In previous administrations, the vice president and senate chief of staff have typically been the only points of contact for senators, according to Jacklin.
“(It is a) rather unprecedented change for collaboration — a way where we can unite with one another in order to cast a great vision,” Jacklin said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian. “I think that senators typically get frustrated because they feel out of the loop.”
Alongside increased collaboration, Jacklin has expressed the desire for all senators to be informed.
“We want (senators) to feel as though their voice is heard but also that they are in the loop at all times,” Jacklin said. “When senators feel in the loop, when we have more collaboration with departments than ever before, that’s the effectiveness and change that we’re looking for.”
In his memo, Jacklin described the purpose, duties, reasoning and context for the addition of the following six positions.
The director of legislative policy (DLP) will use research and action to create clear and feasible legislation that aligns with the goals of ASB. The DLP will communicate with all media and news outlets about senate actions.
The legislative affairs officer will conduct check-ins with senators and serve as a confidential intake point, reporting serious concerns. They will be trained by the attorney general on how to maintain a respectful and functional environment.
The legislative auditor will review legislation before it reaches the Rules Committee, provide feedback and track the effectiveness of bills to improve the senate’s impact.
The legislative coordinator will coordinate weekly briefings, promote effective communication, track legislative development and maintain organization within the legislative branch.
The director of internal affairs will manage logistics, collect feedback, assist in preparing for meetings and address concerns to promote functioning within the senate.
The events coordinator will plan events for the senate, manage logistics and collaborate with committee chairs to establish strong connections and invite guests.
The legislative affairs officer position was later discontinued by Jacklin and Senate Chief of Staff Luke Habeeb after they deemed it unnecessary.
The memo states that the expansion is limited to one term.
“But why we set this in place for one term is, in a sense, we will have to see how it goes,” Jacklin said.
These positions could become permanent at future executive discretion, according to Jacklin.
Habeeb and Jacklin conducted interviews with candidates. Jacklin indicated they were looking for experience, vision and work ethic in candidate responses.
“(What) was really exciting is we had nearly two-and-a-half times the amount of applications for the legislative council,” Jacklin said. “I think that speaks for itself, that people are excited about this vision being put forward, which is beyond exciting, that people want to see that collaboration, that people want to see partisanship get out of the senate, that we want to work together and unite with one another rather than having divisiveness.”
Confirmations
The 13 legislative council members were unanimously confirmed at the formal senate meeting on April 29, including five new positions. Bekah Woodruff was confirmed as director of legislative policy, Davis McQuirter as legislative coordinator, Libby Baty as legislative auditor, Riley Littleton as director of internal affairs and Jess Voge as legislative events coordinator.
Following this confirmation, Jacklin expressed his pleasure with the new positions.
“The senate demonstrated unity on this initiative and have been supportive of the reasoning for the expanded legislative council, as shown by their unanimous vote last night to confirm and approve the nominees,” Jacklin said. “The legislative council expansion is a strong step toward ensuring that vision can take place. Students deserve to know how their senate is working to make campus life more enjoyable, and last night’s vote was a clear demonstration of that commitment.”
Forty-four students were also confirmed into the executive and judicial branches. These include 12 new members of the President’s Cabinet, 10 new Department of Justice members, 12 new Secretary’s Department members and 10 new members of the Treasury Department.
Of the 12 new members of the President’s Cabinet, two are serving in newly-created roles: Marilee Cleveland as special advisor of accessibility and Eli Keel as special advisor on Graduate Student Council and faculty senate relations.
Templet wins president pro tempore
Three senators were nominated by their peers to run for the position of president pro tempore. Andrew Nichols, a senior public policy major from Monroe, N.C., and Jalon Hightower, a junior political science major from Durant, Miss., were elected as senators in the spring elections. Templet, a senior public policy major from Vacherie, La., unsuccessfully ran for vice president during the spring elections and was elected senator during open seat elections held last week.
After approximately 15 minutes of debate, no candidate reached the required 50% threshold during the initial round of voting, meaning Nichols and Templet advanced to a runoff election. After another period of debate, a motion was filed to switch the voting method from secret ballot to roll call. The motion did not pass and the voting process continued as scheduled.
Following the runoff election, it was announced that Templet had won the president pro tempore slot. After the senate meeting, Templet was happy about the new opportunity.
“I am very excited,” Templet said. “I am so excited to work with everyone on senate and everyone on ASB. I am so happy that I was able to get this role and be elected.”
Aidan Poniatowski contributed reporting.
