The Student Association appointed three freshmen Tuesday night to serve in the senate.

Freshmen Stephanie Benedict, Erik Ashida and Josh Goldstein garnered the three nonvoting positions out of a pool of nine finalists.

“We worked hard to be chosen out of 40 (initial) applicants and we are honored to be chosen,” said Goldstein. “We hope we can live up to the standards the executive set for us.”

Goldstein said he plans to improve communication in the SA.

“It is our job to inform the student body about what is going on in the SA and keep it so that they know what we are doing,” he said.

Ashida said it is important that freshmen understand how the University Police Department and EmERG work.

He said he also wants to work on reforming the guest policy in freshman residence halls.

“It is a hassle to have to sign friends into the dorms,” Ashida said.

Benedict said she is best able to serve the freshmen community because she is a member of both the Mount Vernon Campus community and the Women’s Leadership Program.

At the next SA senate meeting on Oct. 7, the senators will introduce legislation that would allow freshman senators to vote.

Last year, Sen. Julie Bindelglass (CCAS-U), chair of the finance committee, became the first freshman in several years to receive voting rights after the senate voted her into a vacant voting seat.

All three of the freshmen senators said they support the bill, however they also understand that it faces an uphill battle in the senate.

“It is my understanding that the bill may require an expensive referenda from the study body,” Ashida said. “I wouldn’t be opposed to making the best of what we already have.”