House of Reps passes two bills, appoints five students to new positions

On Friday, the Boca House of Representatives held its last meeting of the spring semester and over 30 members of the FAU community attended.

Photo+of+the+Boca+House+of+Representatives+meeting+on+April+21%2C+2023.

Photo of the Boca House of Representatives meeting on April 21, 2023.

Elisabeth Gaffney, Staff Writer

At its last meeting of the spring semester, the Boca House of Representatives appointed five students to leadership positions and passed two bills.

Over 30 members of the FAU community attended the two-hour-long meeting.

Governor’s Administrative Cabinet (GAC) Appointments

Atman McDuffy

The new Governor’s Chief of Staff is sophomore political science major Atman McDuffy.

McDuffy has years of leadership experience, starting in 2021 as the Community Council president with FAU Housing and Residential Education and working as the marketing director with FAU’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People  (NAACP). 

Currently, he is the NAACP Political Action chair, Black Student Union secretary, an FAU Elite Owl, and a resident assistant at Glades Park Towers.

“If given the opportunity to be your Boca Raton Governor Chief of Staff, it will be my utmost priority to ensure that all initiatives are fulfilled and any concerns that the student body has are acknowledged,” said McDuffy.

Victoria Armand

Taking over as the new Program Board director is Victoria Armand, a sophomore criminal justice major.

Armand currently serves as Program Board chair, where she creates and hosts events to encourage student involvement. One event she is proud to have organized was Cooking 101 with FAU’s catering service, Chartwells.

“My goal is to create a more interactive environment for students and bridge the gap between Program Board and the student body,” said Armand.

Trevian Javier Briskey

Sophomore business management major Trevian Javier Briskey will be the new Multicultural Programming director.

Briskey is the current President of the Latina/o/x Student Union and also serves as the FAU Action Coalition founder and primary organizer, the coalition that protested bills HB 999 and SB 266 on April 20.

“I am a Puerto Rican and African American, so I do represent plenty of multicultural student orgs and multicultural student bodies and it’s going to be amazing to have someone like me representing our governors,” said Briskey.

Toriano Eiland

Serving as the new Students Advocating for Volunteer Involvement (SAVI) director is Toriano Eiland, a junior multimedia studies major.

Eiland is the current Production Coordinator for Owl TV, works as part of the Student Union set crew, and is an active member of the NAACP.

“I’m going to create innovative events to enrich, empower and elevate the student body. Being SAVI director gives me a chance to make my dreams come true and inspire you like I was inspired by mentors who judged, not my past, but my future,” said Eiland.

New House Representative

In addition to GAC appointments, the House welcomed freshman multimedia studies major Damien Davis as a new representative.

“I think that I will be a great asset to the House,” said Davis.

Bills Passed

BRHB 2023-18, the Memorial Plaque Bill, honors the life of former FAU graduate teaching assistant Rose De La Espriella and raises awareness for mental health by authorizing the purchase of a plaque in her name.

BRHB 2023-20, Victim Services and Dean of Students Food Pantry Donations, emphasizes the heightened food insecurity and mental health services for students who live on campus over the summer.

The bill states that the Boca House allocates $6,321.32 to purchase all service items from Victim Services and the Food Pantry Initiative, in order to provide those services to students.

The House unanimously passed both bills.

Elisabeth Gaffney is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For more information on this article or others, you can reach Elisabeth at [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @elisabethgaff.