April 10, Elijah Levine ’18 and his vice president, former Sen. Annelise Yackow ’18 were officially sworn in to the 325th session of the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly. Speakers at the event included former SA President Eboni Brown ’17 and College President Taylor Reveley, as well as Levine himself.
Students who were elected or re-elected to SA as senators or class presidents were also invited to attend, and were sworn in at the end of the ceremony. A representative from the College’s Elections Commission will perform a smaller inauguration ceremony Tuesday, April 11 before the weekly senate meeting for those who were not in attendance.
Monday’s ceremony marked the end of Brown and former SA Vice President Hannah McKiernan ’17’s year in office. Over the last year, the two worked with their cabinet to expand off-campus housing resources, promote awareness of sexual assault and mental health resources and allocate funding for the Rae Sremmurd concert Sunday, April 9.
Reveley, who opened the ceremony, said that it took a lot to be a good leader, and that he was appreciative of Brown and McKiernan’s leadership. He also said that he was confident Levine would be a great leader over the next year.
Brown said that her year in office was unexpected, as was her ability to attend the College, after coming from the small town of Hopewell, Va. This is a theme Brown has carried with her since her own inauguration ceremony last April.
It was always a blessing to be able to serve the community and it has meant so much to me,” Brown said. “I never did this for the title and I never did it for a resume boost. I know that I did the work for all of you. I should have never had this opportunity. … Knowing I had the opportunity to serve you all, it made this all the more worthwhile.”
“It was always a blessing to be able to serve the community and it has meant so much to me,” Brown said. “I never did this for the title and I never did it for a resume boost. I know that I did the work for all of you. I should have never had this opportunity. … Knowing I had the opportunity to serve you all, it made this all the more worthwhile.”
For Levine and Yackow, the 325th session officially starts April 11. This means that newly inaugurated senators will begin drafting legislation during this week’s senate meeting. Senators who are representing the class of 2017 will remain serving in the senate until the end of the spring semester, representing the class of 2021. In the fall, once they are on campus, the class of 2021 will vote to elect four senators and a class president.
Upon being sworn in, Levine said that Brown was largely responsible for introducing Yackow to him. He also thanked her for being an inspiration to him.
To you, Eboni, since literally day one that I walked on this campus, and especially so in these last few weeks, you have guided and inspired me,” Levine said. “Bringing Annelise and me together enriched my life in more ways than you could ever know.”
“To you, Eboni, since literally day one that I walked on this campus, and especially so in these last few weeks, you have guided and inspired me,” Levine said. “Bringing Annelise and me together enriched my life in more ways than you could ever know.”
Levine also dedicated time in his speech to thanking Yackow for trusting him and choosing to campaign with him, even though he did not have any prior experience in SA. He also thanked Sen. Noah Ferris ’20, his campaign manager. Although Ferris was re-elected by the class of 2020, he plans to resign at the start of this new session. Levine said that he believed Ferris would leave a great footprint of accomplishments on the College.
