The ASUC Senate confirmed a finance officer Wednesday night at its eighth regular meeting of the semester, ending a partisan standoff which had led to the suspension of official senate business for the past three weeks.

The confirmation of junior Alan Ni allowed the senate to continue conducting official business, which was halted due to a bylaw requiring the position be filled by the fifth regular senate meeting of the academic year.

Ni, a business administration and economics double major, was confirmed with 16 votes in favor, one against and three abstaining. The confirmation required 14 votes to pass.

Ni was the second candidate nominated by ASUC President Will Smelko for the position after his original nominee, junior Jing-Jing Li, failed twice to gain enough support beyond Student Action party senators.

Many CalSERVE senators objected to Li's nomination partly due to her unfamiliarity with ASUC-funded student groups, including minority recruitment and retention centers.

Similar objections were not heard during Ni's confirmation discussions, during which senators said he had qualifications that Li lacked, including his experience applying for ASUC funding on behalf of a business fraternity in which he and Li are both members.

"Ni is very qualified because he has lot of time to contribute to the position," CalSERVE Senator Cynthia Nava said at the meeting. "He has had experience applying for spring budgeting."

Although Ni's confirmation passed after less than an hour of consideration at the meeting, a bipartisan group of senators discussed the nomination with Ni on Sunday, including concerns that his previous interest in poker would conflict with his duties as finance officer.

Executive Vice President Tu Tran said the meeting was necessary to break the deadlock over the confirmation.

"Not everything can be worked out on the (senate) floor," he said. "We want to be as transparent as possible, but if we're going to be deadlocked, we'd rather find a solution."

Many senators said the suspension of official business urged them to appoint a finance officer by Wednesday.

"I didn't realize it would be so difficult to pass a finance officer," said Student Action Senator Parth Bhatt. "The second time around senators were more aware of the situation, and we understood very clearly the ramifications."

Despite the difficulties in confirming a finance officer, CalSERVE Senator Ariel Boone said she thinks the nonpartisan tone within this year's ASUC has not changed.

"It's a good sign that we can work together," she said. "There will be partisan issues, and we'll sort them out and move on together."

Tags: ALAN NI, ASUC FINANCE CHAIR, ASUC SENATE