Former Senate President Ian Green choked up in his goodbye speech Tuesday night.
“Your time in Senate is what you make of it,” Green advised the senators in the chamber.
Student Body president-elect Green was one of nine former senators who gave goodbye speeches, including Student Body treasurer-elect Stefan Sanguyo.
Green was replaced as Senate president by Danielle Grosse (Impact, District A), who was elected by majority vote Tuesday night. Minority Party Leader and Senator Nathan Morse (Inspire, District D) lost against Grosse by 64-25.
Grosse has served on the Senate Executive Board and as the chairwoman of the Information and Communication Committee. She said she wants to build the Senate community through a mentorship program and retreats.
“I want to work with all parties to ensure that dignity and respect is held,” Grosse said in the Senate meeting. “I want to make sure everyone’s voice is heard. In Senate, I know that all 100 of us could work together to leave a lasting impact on this university.”
The Senate also elected a new Senate president pro tempore and two members-at-large.
Senator Michael Murphy (Impact, District A) was elected as Senate president pro tempore by a 63-25 vote. He ran against Senator Mackintosh “Mack” Joachim (Inspire, Graham).
Murphy is currently the chair of the Newell Hall Advisory Board and serves on the Tech Fee Committee. He’s also the Director of Special Projects for External Affairs.
“I’m excited to work with both sides of the aisle and working as a congestive unit towards a shared goal,” Murphy said.
Senators Katelyn Hernandez (Impact, District C) and Chad Grodi (Impact, District B) were elected as the Senate’s two members-at-large and will serve on the Replacement and Agenda committee.
Senate also passed six resolutions, including two supporting the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and gun reform, and two endorsing programs to help Other Personnel Services (OPS) employees, who are paid hourly and not given benefits.
At the meeting, senators also certified by unanimous consent the Spring 2018 election results, which were announced Wednesday.
Students spoke in the meeting time about fundraising efforts for UF Stands with MSD, a group trying to go to Washington D.C. to be a part of the March for Our Lives.
Jaime Roy, an ambassador for Voters Everywhere, which is an organization that registers voters and makes petitions to restore felons’ rights, expressed her disappointment in senators for not passing a resolution supporting early voting after it was passed Sunday in the Judiciary Committee.
Natalia Ortega, the agency head of Chomp the Vote, a Student Government agency dedicated to raising voter awareness, said offi cials have already supported the organization’s strides toward turning campus spots into early voting locations.
“The problem on campus is not that we don’t have a place for early voting on campus,” Ortega said, adding that another issue is apathy from voters.
Contact Christina Morales at cmorales@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @Christina_M18.
New UF Student Senate President Danielle Grosse stands before the senators as she is sworn in on Tuesday evening in the Reitz Union Chamber Room. "There will always be more that we can accomplish as student senators, and I am excited to get to work with you all to achieve these things," Grosse said.
