The SGA elections are in

The semester may not be over, but Student Government Association (SGA) elections for the upcoming Fall semester have concluded. The elections included voting for class Senators, class Presidents and Vice Presidents (VP) and student body President and VP. This new group of SGA members includes returning students as well as new students hopeful to create change through student government.

“I hope to create more opportunities for our class [the junior class] to work as a team, whether that be an event on campus, in chapel or in the community of Shawnee,” The newly elected Junior class President Haley Myers said. Myers is not the only student hoping to create more opportunities for their fellow students.

“I hope to encourage clubs to utilize the resource of SGA to get funds for events to raise awareness of their club. Also, as Vice President of my class, I hope to put on an event for the Juniors possibly for each semester,” Bria Evert, the new Junior class Vice President said. Contrary to her running mate, this will not be Evert’s first year in SGA.

“I have had the opportunity to serve on the senate since August 2021 as Diversity Senator,” Evert said. Evert has experience on her side, and this will give her an edge as she approaches this new position.

“Diversity and progression are essential to the liveliness of campus culture. Being able to serve as senator, I found the opportunity to be part of a legislation which aims to bridge the gap between student needs and the ambiguity that often surrounds SGA and what we are doing as a student body to improve Bison Hill. Being able to provide transparent communication between the students and SGA is essential to the progression of our campus in all aspects,” Newly elected Senior Senator Jennifer Santos said. This will be Santos’ first year in SGA, and she has some exciting ideas that she wants to bring forward

“As leaders on campus, we should take on more legislation which advocates for the needs of students beyond social events and defy the status quo of progression that is often branded as "controversial" in many of the bills and legislation that are passed within the student government. Our focus as SGA leaders should be to pass legislations similar to the Red Pantry and the Good Things Pantry which serve beneficial to many of the underserved voices on campus. I believe that under this new leadership we can further extend the diversity and progression essential to the liveliness of campus culture,” Santos said. Santos is ready to bring about change for the student body not for herself but for her fellow students.

“I have a special appreciation for multicultural clubs on campus and would love the opportunity to write bills which voice their needs. Not only this, but I would like to cater to lower income students on campus by providing a clothes-drive once a month. What would this entail? Asking students/administration to skim through their closet for items they no longer wear, more specifically, targeting clothing items which fall under the business professional or/and business casual category. As students prepare for interviews, whether that be for job or internship purposes, I find that we often neglect the fact that many of our students on campus cannot afford to look the part due to their monetary situation and would rather use whatever money they have available for food and other personal needs. I find that through this monthly drive, we can provide students with free, gently used clothes that will follow them in their future endeavors. In providing a clothes-drive such as this, we offer a breath of relief for many students and bring forth confidence - an essential tool for success,” Santos said. Santos has specific ideas for what she wants to bring to SGA; some students' goals are focused on bringing about a different mindset to student government.

“In my Hyde Park speech Rachel and I clearly communicated that we desire for SGA to be rooted in Christ, use SGA as a platform to create opportunities for students on campus to lead and serve, and work together to flourish the community on Bison Hill,” Hannah DeMoss the new student body President said. To learn more about SGA, you can check out their instagram account @obu_sga or email sga@okbu.edu.