A few weeks ago, the current Administrative Assistant of the Junior Class Council, Elizabeth Jabs, was elected Accountability Review Board Chairperson for the next academic year, replacing Senior Timothy Sluss.
The position is to help all of the class councils and SGA executives perform their tasks correctly and in a timely fashion. This position has undergone some changes since last year as SGA passed legislation designed to reform the ARB.
“The Accountability Review Board Chairperson is basically responsible for keeping the class councils and executive student government accountable by making sure any sort of paperwork or important documents are in at a certain time or anything that has to be filed after a certain event,” Jabs explained.
SGA executives’ roles are more demanding, so the ARB exists to help with codes of conduct that need to be followed by those figures and to provide accountability. The ARB Chairperson is not involved in any planning of campus activities, but rather with the ethical oversight of the entire student government. With her new position, Jabs is going to make sure to assist the class councils so they can know what is expected of them.
“I’m on the junior class council now, so I’m familiar with what the ARB does because they had been checking in with me being on the class council, and I think it’s a good idea and process for making sure people know what is expected of them,” Jabs said.
Jabs decided to run for ARB Chairperson because she still wants to be involved in SGA, after a run for executive SGA. Having been elected for the position of ARB, she’ll be responsible for nominating one person from each class in the fall for confirmation by the General SGA as the other four members of the ARB.
“Since the position was introduced last year, I think it is still fluid. There is not a set way implemented with this position. I would like to secure and establish a more prominent role of the chairperson so it is taken seriously and so that students will know what the position is,” said Jabs.