The ASUA Senate unanimously appointed Marc Small as a replacement for Marielos Castro, a former senator who resigned from the governing body in December for medical reasons.

The Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate held an open application process to fill the seat, and almost 20 students applied, according to ASUA President James Allen.

Allen said that Small, a sophomore majoring in pre-business and political science, was selected because during his interview to become the new senator, expressed a passion to increase financial aid and diversity programs on campus.

“He talked about idea after idea,” Allen said. “I haven’t seen that in a senator in forever.”

Small said he is excited to begin serving in the senate because he can implement his ideas this semester, instead of waiting to run until next semester, as previously planned.

“Students want a lot out of us, but don’t see as much as they get,” Small said.

Implementing an interest-free Emergency Loan Program is one of Small’s initial projects. The program, he said, would allow students to apply for a loan if they encounter a financial emergency, such as if a family member who was supporting them, dies.

Small also said he wants ASUA to “branch out more” by getting involved in the local community. Sen. Danielle Dobrusin, he said, had the idea of hosting a movie at Arizona Stadium to benefit St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“We can do something like that if we are more involved in the community,” Small explained.

Allen said the reason the new senator was not elected by the students is because there was “not enough time to make the election worthwhile.”

ASUA bylaws state that if a senate vacancy occurs after Nov. 1 of the senate term, it can be filled by a presidential appointment if the candidate is approved by three-fourths of the senate.

Having an application process, Allen said, coincided with ASUA bylaws and was both open and democratic.