ASSU President Angelina Cardona ‘11 submitted a bill yesterday to the Undergraduate Senate and Graduate Student Council naming Michael Cruz ‘12 as the new vice president. The Undergraduate Senate and Graduate Student Council will vote to confirm the nomination this week.
Cruz will replace Kelsei Wharton, who resigned from the VP position after sustaining an injury that required him to take the quarter off. Cruz will have to find a replacement to take on his current position as ASSU Senate Chair. He plans to run elections to fill the soon-to-be vacated seat.
Cardona said consulting with the executive committee was the first step to appointing a new vice president. The executive committee consists of the leaders of the different ASSU bodies. Together, they sought recommendations on VP qualities, but did not generate specific candidates.
The ASSU leadership looked for a candidate who would be an equal partner and who could offer opinions on different issues. Finding a detail-oriented and hard-working individual was key, Cardona noted.
“The leadership of the executive–Angelina, Kelsei and John Haskell–approached me about the position,” Cruz said. “They described the duties and roles that I’d be undertaking and, after giving it a lot of thought and time, I ended up deciding to accept the position.”
“We definitely decided that Michael was a great choice because of his combination of experience and the relationships that he has already established with the cabinet team, Senate and GSC–all the core components of the ASSU,” Cardona said.
Since accepting his new position, Cruz has been updated on the senate’s agenda.
“I’ve already been looping him in on high-level administrator meetings,” Cardona said. “He also is up to date on the work that we’re doing with Judicial Affairs and assisting them with their review, particularly on the student input piece. We meet daily to talk about what he’s doing and what I’m doing.”
“He’ll be an integral resource for our cabinet,” said ASSU Executive Chief of Staff John Haskell ‘12. “He has a lot of knowledge that, with Kelsei gone, was lost.”
Cardona stated that Cruz’s appointment would result in a smooth transition, given his longstanding ties with ASSU.
“Obviously, the role of VP is a lot of work and there’s no way that I can replace Kelsei, but I’m hoping to help augment and help in role of VP,” Cruz said. “I think the most difficult challenge is making sure that the process goes smoothly and that new leadership is quickly appointed in senate.”
Cruz began his career in Stanford’s student government as an ASSU Executive Fellow and later became deputy chair of the Appropriations Committee.
“I’m very excited about the position and look forward to continue serving the Stanford community,” he said.