In addition to voting on next year's executive branch, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Academic Assembly passed legislation last night to allow two representatives from the Schreyer Honors College to be a part of the assembly's voting membership.

Assembly President Ashley Harris said the legislation was prompted by conversations she had with members of the Schreyer Honors College's student council.

Harris said the members she spoke with feel their representatives deserve voting rights since the honors college is an academic unit.

Kevin Ward, a representative from the college, said he is in strong support of this legislation. "We feel we should be heard," he said.

Ricardo Torres, faculty senator for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, said he also supports the legislation.

"They've been an essential part of Assembly," he said. "Their input is always extremely valuable."

At the April 3 meeting, Torres was nominated to be the assembly's next president, and Harris was nominated to be next year's vice president of operations.

Both accepted and were officially elected by assembly members last night.

Torres said he plans to hold a social to kick off the fall semester and for assembly members to meet with other USG branch members.

"We all need to work together," he said.

Torres said he also plans to hold midterm evaluations to "keep refocusing" the assembly's goals and "re-harnessing" its members.

He also said he hopes to work with other groups and clubs and possibly hold open-mic sessions.

He added that he wants to improve attendance, fill vacancies and promote the open student forum at assembly meetings.

Harris said she hopes to improve the assembly's morale next year, have a "powwow" with the new members to establish goals and publicize the assembly in "Stall Stories" and through brochures.

"It sounds like we're going to get off to a good start," she said last week, after being nominated.

Jennifer Miller, representative from the Eberly College of Science, was nominated last night to be next year's vice president of programming. She accepted and was also elected.

Miller said that filling vacant seats next year is important, and improving attendance would be beneficial.