On Tuesday, it was announced that Thomas Daly and Catherine Oesterle were elected President and Vice President of the 2017 Student Government Association. Over 1,000 students voted online between the three tickets running. As per the SGA Constitution, Daly and Oesterle will replace current President Matthew Hunt and Vice President Jessica Smith at the beginning of next semester.
Daly and Oesterle are incredibly excited and honored to be elected. They found the support and positive responses they received this week to be “overwhelming” to the point that they found themselves in tears. Since last spring, Daly has been serving as the Chair of the Committee on Student Interests. He is looking forward to working with President Matt Hunt and Vice President Jessica Smith, both of whom he has a strong relationship with as a member of their Cabinet, during this transition period.
Daly’s leadership experience is not exclusive to the SGA. He is an orientation leader, peer mentor, a member of multiple honors societies, a brother of Kappa Sigma fraternity, as well as a member of Stevens Irish Association and Ethnic Student Council. Oesterle has significant experience in leadership as well, despite being a sophomore. Aside from being an SGA senator, she is also the head of the SGA’s Public Relations Committee, a sister of Delta Phi Epsilon, and a morale captain for StevensTHON. They feel that from their experiences they have “learned what the students need, and what kind of changes they would like to be made.” They also made a point to go around campus and meet different students and hear out their concerns. “This allowed [students] to put a face to our name, while simultaneously giving us key insight into the student experience, that we plan to use throughout our term.” They acknowledged the other tickets as “very qualified” and called their victory a “tough race,” citing their knowledge and leadership experience in various areas of campus to why they may have had an advantage.
Some issues Daly and Oesterle immediately hope to address once in office include seating in the library, storage for student organizations, and misguided sprinklers located on the way to Howe. They want to change the image of the SGA to be more welcoming, as well as improve the sense of community within the Senate. “The Senate is the heart and soul of the SGA. With active and passionate senators, the possibilities of our student government are boundless.” At this point, they have begun the process of choosing their Cabinet. They feel “overwhelmed with the amount of talent and potential [our] student population has to offer.”
As a member of Matthew Hunt’s Cabinet, Daly believes that the SGA “could act as an advocating body for all students” and “could achieve great things.” They feel that Hunt and Smith are both “phenomenal leaders” and say that they will be “sorely missed once they step out of their roles.” Daly and Oesterle hope to learn as much as they can from Hunt and Smith before their term ends, especially about their “experience in running a Cabinet and Senate,” and look forward to making changes that will positively impact students beyond their time here.
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