Student Association President Christopher Collins-McNeil officially resigned Tuesday after accepting a full-time paid position in Baltimore, leaving SA Vice President Emily Nassir to be sworn in as the new SA president.

This is the third consecutive year the SA vice president’s position has been available for the spring semester of the academic year. According to the order of succession in the SA constitution, the pro tempore is the rules and judiciary committee chair. Upon refusal, the opportunity for the vice president’s seat passes to the finance committee chair and is then, open to an election within the Senate.

After Sen. Sarah Woods, ruled and judiciary committee chair, and Sen. Alex George, finance committee chair, declined the position continued to an open election.

Sen. Ryan Cobane nominated Sen. Shelby Gallaro, student involvement committee chair, for pro tempore. After questions and debate, Gallaro was elected SA vice president.

Collins-McNeil said he applied to jobs during winter break but never expected to be presented with a job opportunity before completing his degree or finishing his term as SA president and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I wasn’t able to finish my term but I am confident that over the three and a half years that I have been here I have given of myself, of my time, of my efforts, of my talents, of my passions, of my love for the work that I do for SUNY Oswego,” Collins-Mceil said. “So I can be consciously step down at this time.”

Collins-McNeil will start on Monday as a field organizer for the campaign of Baltimore’s mayoral candidate Nick Mosby. Working through the Office of Experiential Learning, his new position will count for seven credits and he will be able to return in May for graduation.

According to Collins-McNeil, all the initiatives he started as SA president, such as the Student Advisory Boards and SUNY SA identity caucuses, are going to be passed along to his SA directors and administration to see through.

“Presidents have big visions and we try to make them come true,” Collins-McNeil said. “I realized that I’m not going to leave everything for Emily to finish that I’ve started in her term. She has to find her own voice and her own vision and make it happen.”

Although Collins-McNeil’s announcement came to a shock for Nassir, she is confident with the transition to her new position as SA president. She has worked closely with Collins-McNeil for the past semester and she hopes to have seem-less transition.

In regards to her new term, Nassir referenced Rev. Bernice King’s speech during the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration last Friday.

“Watching past SA presidents, you are either one of two people, people-centered or profit-centered, and I am very people-centered,” Nassir said.

Nassir said, she wants to accomplish a lot in her position, but for the time being, she wants to focus on: an “SA Assembly” that establishes formal communication between SA and the different recognized clubs and organizations.

“We are excited to see where we can go now, new leadership, new experience and we hope to make a positive change,” Nassir said.

Although she is going to miss being SA vice president and the connection she had with the rest of the senators, Nassir said she is prepared to fully train the incoming vice presidentpresident.

Gallaro has been involved in SA since her first semester freshman year. As a sophomore, she is a Resident Assistant in Oneida Hall and has spent the past semester as the chair of the rules and judiciary committee. Gallaro was sworn into the SA vice presidency.

According to Gallaro, she and Nassir were going to run for SA president and SA vice president in the upcoming elections for the next academic year. Gallaro said she thinks that their new positions will give them an advantage in the upcoming elections. She plans to continue the work Nassir has done in the Senate.

“Emily did a really great job running the Senate,” Gallaro said. “I would like to see the senators become more independent.”

Despite the quick transition, Gallaro feels she is ready for the SA vice presidency and the president of the Senate.

“I am ready to challenge myself and challenge the Senate to be the best we can be,” Gallaro said.

Despite the transitions that SA is going through, Collins-McNeil hopes the SA predecessors remember what SA is really about.

“Student Associations serve the students; we serve the 7,900 undergraduate students and the 800 graduate students and our invested interest is in hearing those voices and listening to everybody,” Collins-McNeil said.