SA discusses undersecretary to Williamsburg nomination, branding materials act

The College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly Senate discussed the nomination of Connor Mills ’17 as undersecretary to Williamsburg Nov. 24.

Mills would replace the previous undersecretary, who will be studying abroad next semester. The role of the undersecretary is to aid in encouraging conversation with the Williamsburg community about issues such as off-campus housing and transportation.

“I hope to continue the undersecretary’s role in facilitating communication between the Williamsburg police and the student body through round-table meetings,” Mills said.

In preparation for his nomination, Mills attended the November meeting of the Williamsburg neighborhood council and met Mayor Clyde Haulman.

The public affairs committee gave Mills a positive unanimous recommendation and recommended he serve as interim chair.

Current undersecretary to Williamsburg Brady Meixell ’16 also recommended Mills for the position.

“Connor is a very competent, capable individual. … Mayor Haulman expressed to me his enthusiasm for Connor joining this team, which I think is valuable and rare for somebody stepping into a new position,” Meixell said.

After going into closed session to discuss personal matters pertinent to the nomination, the senate determined that it did not have quorum and thus could not officially vote to confirm Mills until next week’s meeting.

The senate then discussed the Beauty of Branding Act, sponsored by Sen. Emily Thomas ’17, which asks for $6,000 to buy branding materials such as a tent and a pull-down banner for the SA.

“It’s great for the SA to have a unified vision, and part of having a unifying vision is having a brand,” Sen. Chase Jordan ’15 said. “It’s forward-looking. It’s not just about SA right now, it’s about SA three years from now.”

The student life committee gave the bill a positive recommendation, as did the finance and public affairs committees. The outreach and policy committees gave the bill a positive recommendation contingent on an itemized list explaining where the $6,000 would be allocated.

“There were a lot of concerns at the table about how much it was. The general feeling was that $6,000 is not too much if it’s going towards things that really are going to matter,” Sen. Nadia Ilunga ’15 said.

Ilunga went on to say that she would not, however, like to see the money go toward publicity, as the SA already allocates spending to publicity efforts.

Senior Class President Joe Foster pointed out that $6,000 was assumed to be a spending cap, not the total spending anticipated.

Due to the lack of senators at the meeting, Sen. Yohance Whitaker ’16 motioned to table the act until next week.

One new bill, the Winter Formal Act — sponsored by Sen. Alaina Shreves ’18 and Sen. Danny O’Dea ’18 — was also introduced.

Since Shreves and O’Dea were both absent from the meeting, freshman class president Jose Acuna introduced the bill.

The Winter Formal Act is designed to allow the freshman and sophomore classes to throw a combined winter formal in the Alumni House Jan. 31. The formal would be open to all classes.

The bill allocates $975 for the reservation of the Alumni House and the services of a DJ.

Chairman of the Senate Daniel Ackerman ’16 assigned the bill to the finance and outreach committees.