The month of October has brought great changes within the Student Government Association (SGA). On October 4, former President, Vice President of Operations (VPO), and Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) of the SGA announced their resignation. In order to continue operations and the passing of initiatives, the need to appoint new students to fill these vacant positions became apparent. During the SGA Senate meeting on October 18, these positions were filled with E.J. Hannah being elected President and Emily Ng being elected VPO. Andrew Kinney, was appointed to Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) in which he will handle some of the responsibilities of the VPAA. Additionally, Gabriella Poska was appointed as Secretary. Each student has new visions for the SGA regarding the current structure, the transparency across the organization and with the student body, and how it will operate for the remainder of this semester.
Hannah expressed that he has had a deep connection to the SGA since he started at Stevens. “It has provided me with countless opportunities to pursue my passions, challenge myself, and most importantly, represent the voices of others,” Hannah said as he explained how he’s grown by connecting more to Stevens administration and the student body. Hannah’s motivation to run for President came from his desire to “repair the organization that has meant so much to [him].” Some of Hannah’s goals for the remainder of this term include advocating for a grading policy that alleviates stress among students, having more appropriate minority representation on the Presidential task forces, and collaborating with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Black Affairs Council.
Hannah also aims to sustain the SGA restructuring efforts. Through restructuring, Hannah hopes to create stronger representations of different campus affinities. He noted that the current structure of the SGA “is too rigid to allow for these adaptations as the needs of the community evolve.” Mainly, Hannah hopes to dissolve a hierarchy that puts too much power in the hands of the President and VPO and increases the number of students in communication with administration. Hannah’s message to the student body is this: “It is more important than ever to take care of yourself. The current situation we are navigating through is undeniably tough, but if I know one thing, it’s that Stevens students are tougher.”
Ng, a third-year Engineering Management major, has a very positive outlook on the SGA, describing the club as “an organization with people who can help you better campus” and an environment where you can “make a difference.” Ng was motivated to run for a cabinet position because she noted that she believes there is value, energy, and opportunity within the SGA, and she hopes to bring these sentiments back. She sees the SGA as a community where students can collaborate with Stevens administration, speak with new students, and advocate for initiatives desired by individuals and the entire student body.
Ng encourages students who want to make changes at Stevens to join the SGA and wants students to know that they are always welcome to take part in SGA and committee meetings. One initiative the new VPO hopes to have is a day to introduce the SGA to students while also explaining the value of being a part of the club. During her time as VPO, Ng wants to be “transparent with the student body, and clearly inform everyone of any updates or information that the cabinet has with administration.”
Kinney, a 4/4 Mechanical Engineering major, was motivated to take on Chair of the AAC in an effort to ensure the responsibilities of the VPAA are fulfilled. His main focus for this term is to increase involvement with academics and create unity between the members of the committee and the VPAA. Other than recruitment, Kinney hopes to work on modifying the grading policy similar to the one implemented during the Spring 2020 semester. By teaming up with students who are not in the SGA that are currently working on distributing a survey to collect student interest on modifying the grading policy, Kinney expressed that he hopes to “help them spread their survey around and eventually bring it to the administration.”
With respect to the restructure, Kinney is enthusiastic and said he “love[s] the idea of having committees and committee heads take on more responsibilities” as opposed to giving more tasks to the Cabinet members. His message to the student body is to join the Academic Affairs Committee. He noted that being a part of the committee enables students to create change related to “classes, major, study plan, department, requirements, or anything else related to academics.”
Poska, a member of the Budget Committee within the SGA and Business Manager for The Stevens Dramatic Society, has been increasing her overall involvement within the SGA. Poska’s motivation to become Secretary stemmed from her interest in taking on a larger role in the SGA. Her long term goal this semester is to ensure that all students are able to voice their opinions; she plans to accomplish this by making herself available to those interested in sharing their ideas. Poska also expressed that she hopes to “be a source of clarity in such a confusing time both amidst a pandemic and with a new Cabinet toward the end of a term” as well as guaranteeing that “the senators are getting everything they hoped for when they initially joined the SGA.”
In terms of the SGA restructuring, Poska is glad to finally see action and stated she believes “those who are leading the effort have been making some great headway and have set forth a schedule that will lead to great success.”
Poska wants the student body to know that herself and the entirety of the SGA are always open to address students’ concerns and urges interested students to reach out to her at any time. While the new SGA leadership has ambitious goals for the remainder of this semester, the new Cabinet members and students in leadership roles are striving to be a point of contact for students. All Stevens students are encouraged to attend meetings and become a participant within the SGA, even without prior experience of being a Senator or member.
Be First to Comment