The Associated Students of Colorado State University convened Aug. 26 for the third session of the 56th senate.

Following the swearing in of new senators and associates, ASCSU kicked off the fall semester with the ratification of the ASCSU Supreme Court.

Rocio Villalobos-Quintero will serve as this years deputy chief justice, second in command to Dylan Mastrogiovanni, chief justice of the ASCSU Supreme Court. This year’s new associate justices include Karis Blackman, Nevaeh Greene, Quinlan Kelleher and Sophie Meyer.

Mastrogiovanni said the judicial branch is still looking to fill additional associate justice positions.

The ASCSU Judicial Branch is called to uphold, interpret and enforce the ASCSU constitution and code of ethics. Additionally, the justices follow the bylaws of the ASCSU Supreme Court and oversee the decisions made by the ASCSU Senate, boards and committees.

During gallery input, former ASCSU Senator Jackson Singleton said he will continue to work on projects he started last semester. Singleton said he plans to work closely with newly elected ASCSU President Victoria Quesada-Stoner and Pride Resource Center Senator Brooke Reese.

The session then moved on to campus community reports, though none were presented to the senate.

Prior to committee chair elections, Speaker of the Senate Ryer Roberts welcomed new students who were in attendance to the senate chamber and said he hoped to fill every ASCSU senator and associate senator seat this year.

The senate then held the election of the Internal Affairs Committee chair. The Internal Affairs Committee is responsible for overseeing intraorganizational matters within ASCSU and reviewing pieces of legislation.

Jack Pendleton, senator for the Pride Resource Center, was nominated for the position and presented to the chambers.

“Over the summer, I’ve been working to establish a system that makes it easier to find, not only bills, but senators connected to certain issues,” Pendleton said while presenting.

After a period of Q&A, discussion and debate, Pendleton was elected via an oral vote.

The election of the University Affairs Committee chair then followed with Senator Brooke Reese and Senator Cassidy Mendoza both being nominated for the position.

The role of the University Affairs Committee is to review legislation “pertaining to the University and outside of Colorado State University,” according to the senate’s website.

Following each nominee’s presentation, a period of Q&A and a lengthy discussion and debate, Mendoza was elected by secret-ballot vote.

“It’s important to express that, as committee chairs, we are dedicated to being a voice for students,” Mendoza said during his presentation.

Next came the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee chair election. The four nominated candidates were Senator Blake Simpson, Senator Celina Mora, Senator Vanessa Escobar Romero and Senator Haven Bohn.

The DEI committee is responsible for finding ways to “directly connect with students across campus ” and ensure “a truly equitable experience” at CSU, according to the senate’s website.

After each nominee’s presentation, Q&A and a discussion and debate session, Escobar Romero was elected.

Since there were no nominations for the election of the Budget and Appropriations Committee chair, the election will be postponed.

Caucus elections were also postponed. Instead, the Accessibility Caucus, Housing Caucus, Community Action Caucus and the Women and Social Justice Caucus were renewed, in accordance with the section 702 of the ASCSU Constitution, which states if the caucus’ bill is set for an indefinite time period, the caucus must be renewed at the start of each academic year.

After the elections concluded, the executive, judicial and legislative branch gave their respective reports.

Executive reports include the announcement of the ASCSU Fall Retreat.

The judicial and legislative reports were brief and consisted of information regarding onboarding sessions for new senators and information on parliamentary procedure.

ASCSU Senate will reconvene Sept. 2.

Reach Katya Azrubi at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.