The 32nd General Assembly concluded their tenure in office last night, as the Student Government Association rang in a new administration, and Adam Meister's presidency came to a close.

For the first time since the early 1990s, the SGA welcomed a female to the presidency. President Cari Johns was sworn in, and so begun her term in office.

The meeting began in due fashion, with Administrative Vice President Maria Rozier taking attendance for the final time.

Following roll call, the meeting was kicked off by Senator Patrick Ishmael, who brought to the floor three bills concerning the Great Issues Committee. Ishmael, who will serve as GIC chair next year, moved to omnibus three issues involving GIC. Ishmael called for changes to the GIC constitution, acknowledged DPS officer Larry Purvis for his work with GIC and confirmed the 2005-2006 members of the GIC. The bill was approved unanimously.

Following Ishmael, the senate brought to the floor four resolutions concerning three awards. First was the George D. Wendel civic leadership award. The award was presented to senior Thomas Gill, current SGA financial vice president. Junior Meg Kopchinski, Wendel's granddaughter, had this to say about the award: "It is an honor that our grandfather is being recognized for his service. Thank you."

Second, the Mary A. Bruemmer award for service in the area of student life was presented to Cheryl A. Kaufman. Kaufman serves in the Office of Student Life, and is the first face students see when they walk in the door.

Kaufman was described by an anonymous student in the resolution as "the unsung hero of student life."

The third award was the Joseph F. Hodes Student of the Year award. This award was presented to two students for their work on campus.

First, the award was presented to SGA president Adam Meister. Meister has served as the president of SGA, is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and was commended for his dedication to the student body as a whole. Meister humbly allowed the resolution to pass.

Next, the award was presented to Chidi J. Ogbonna. Ogbonna has served as the International Student Federation president for the last two years, and has served on the executive board of SGA. Ogbonna was also the first chair of the social justice committee.

Following the awards, SGA had some fun and passed out a handful of "most likely" awards. The awards, aimed at mocking aspects of certain members of the Student Government Association, added a touch of sentimentality to the meeting.

Meister proceeded to present the President's Award. The award is given to a member of SGA, at the discretion of Meister. It was awarded to Senator Taylor Bass. Meister noted Bass' diligence in working on the meal plan committee, and the hard work he endured in making a large change for the student body. In a moment of irony, Meister presented Bass with a copy of the movie "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle."

Meister then went into his presidential address, and noted SGA's diligence and hard work as essential to overcoming the numerous times of crisis that this particular senate has had to deal with.

"The 33rd SGA has a tough goal to meet. The work this senate has done has been incredible. We have risen the bar in terms of meeting students' needs and dealing with administration," said Meister.

Meister went on to highlight the accomplishments of the senate, from bringing the intramurals to fruition, to the new meal plan options, to the changes to be enacted in the residence-hall realm and numerous others. He thanked the senators for all of their hard work, and commented that this administration could not have been as successful without that work ethic, especially considering the various curveballs they had to deal with.

Meister expressed his confidence in Johns, the incoming 33rd assembly and their ability to carry the torch and lead the student body. Meister closed his farewell address by thanking everyone again and expressing his hope for the future of the SGA.

The gavel was passed for the final time for the 32nd assembly, and numerous sentimental stories were told. Most notable was Chief of Staff Matt Buhrman, who regaled the SGA with his singing voice, and took no shame in poking fun at the incoming executive board.

With the conclusion of the gavel passing, Adam Meister read the oath of office to install the new executive board. They vowed to uphold the SGA constitution and serve the University community as a whole.

Johns then took her place behind the podium for the first time and installed the 33rd General Assembly. The newly installed Assembly voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting.

The pomp and circumstance subsided for the evening, and on that note, the SGA is adjourned until Aug 31, 2005.