Members of the College of William and Mary’s 319th Student Assembly gathered together in the Sir Christopher Wren building Monday evening for the annual SA inauguration.
The ceremony featured speeches from former SA president Chrissy Scott ’11, current president Kaveh Sadeghian ’12 and former Chief-of-Staff Charles Crimmins J.D. ’10.
“It’s a nice opportunity for us all to start on the same page,” a freshly inaugurated Sadeghian said.
As per a requirement of the SA’s constitution, each new elected officer must be officially sworn in before commencing his or her duties. Those who cannot attend the ceremony must be sworn in later in private, former SA Vice President and Graduate Senator Ryan Ruzic J.D. ’11 said.
“[The ceremony] is a way of providing some sense of seriousness and formality,” Ruzic said.
In an opening address, Scott quoted former US presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, and offered advice to next year’s assembly members.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of reaching out to students on every spending bill,” she said. “Please work together. Please.”
Crimmins echoed this encouragement of cooperation within the SA.
“The ability to prosper can only be determined by leadership,” he said. “Every second the SA spends fighting is a second that could be more wisely spent making students’ lives better.”
At the end of his speech, Crimmins led the gathered assembly members in a chant.
“319, 319, 319,” the SA said in unison, pumping their fists with each subsequent cheer.
Sadeghian, SA Vice President Molly Bulman ’12 and all new assembly members then stood, raised their right hands and took the oath of office in turn, making them official members of the College’s 319th SA.
Sadeghian offered some closing remarks to the newly inaugurated assembly members.
“I think it’s so cool that we get to be inaugurated in the Wren Chapel, it says something about the school and this assembly,” he said. “The Wren Chapel has been burned down two or three times and it’s still here. You’ll get burned too, but keep it up and you’ll be fine.”