Manuel and Shah take oaths, have a ball
Published Jan. 25, 2000
Susan Manuel and Bobby Shah's hometown of St. Louis exploded with football fever Sunday as the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl.
While most of their fellow townspeople sat glued to television screens, Manuel and Shah were formally kicking off their administration as Missouri Students Association president and vice president.
Manuel, Shah and the rest of their cabinet were inaugurated in a ceremony in Stotler Lounge at 3 p.m. MSA senators and officers celebrated the inauguration at the first-ever inaugural ball later that evening.
Although Manuel and Shah have been carrying out the duties of president and vice president since the beginning of the semester, they were officially sworn into office at Sunday's inauguration.
MSA Senate Speaker Ryan McMasters presided over the ceremony, which commemorated the accomplishments of last year's officers and handed the administrative torch to Manuel and Shah.
The inauguration featured speeches from outgoing President Todd Kennedy, outgoing Vice President Bryan Webster, Manuel, Shah and Assistant Provost Peter Markie.
"I'm really looking forward to the upcoming year," Manuel said in her speech. "There's a lot of experiences to be had, and a lot of fun to have, and a lot of work to be done."
Both Manuel and Shah said they intend to pursue their platform issues, which include improving academic advising and instating a multicultural class requirement, but being MSA president involves more than getting the big ideas across, Manuel said.
"For the past couple of weeks, it seems like things just keep popping up," she said. "I thought I would get in the office and Bobby would get in the office and we'd get started on our platform issues."
Manuel credited Kennedy and Webster for handling those sorts of day-to-day issues well.
"Todd and Bryan did so much more than anybody could actually know," Manuel said.
In his farewell speech, Kennedy said he formed an impression of Manuel as a leader who dedicated herself to important issues and not "political games" while on the campaign trail.
"Susan Manuel and Bobby Shah are two people who will stand up for their convictions and will push and push just as hard, if not harder, than Bryan and I have," Kennedy said.
Webster said he believed his administration had laid foundations for important issues that Manuel and Shah would have to work on.
"I'll be sad to go, but Susan and Bobby will do a fantastic job," Webster said. "I think it's time for some new blood in there."
Webster referred to his tenure as vice president by quoting Benjamin Franklin: "It is ill-mannered to silence a fool, but cruelty to let him go on."
MSA officers also presented two awards to senators at the inauguration.
McMasters gave the Kurt C. Nelson award for outstanding senator to Lauren Palmer for her work on the Campus and Community Relations Committee.
Kennedy handed out the Carrie Francke award for dedication in the MSA executive branch to Katie Brown for her work in developing MUTV, a weekly newscast for MU students.
After the speeches and oaths, MSA senators and officers returned to Stotler Lounge for the first-ever inaugural ball, with a sit-down dinner and a disc jockey.
Clad in semi-formal attire, Manuel and Shah danced the night away with MSA committee chairpersons and officers.
After dinner, Manuel and Shah argued about the final quarter of the Rams' game and talked about their inaugural speeches.
"I think I've been thinking about what I would say since we won," Manuel said. Shah said he composed his speech while taking a shower the morning of the inauguration.
Manuel said she has learned much about her job during her first two weeks in office.
"The job is pretty much what we make of it," she said. "When I leave, I want people to say, 'She did a lot.'"
Manuel's mother, Jackie, who came from St. Louis with Manuel's father, Bob, said she was very proud of her daughter for her campaign issues, such as academic advising and diversity.
"I always told Susan, whatever she wanted to do she could do it and she is not to listen to anything negative," Jackie Manuel said. "She is to march on, and she always did."