On March 11, Suffolk proudly presented its newly-elected Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2011-2012 school year, after extensive campaigning and debate by all candidates.
The election for president came to a head with Megan Caron beating out her fellow junior Scott Zalatoris with 267 votes over his 164. Caron, 20, of Nashua, NH is a government major with a women’s studies minor.
“I’d like to change the negative perception of SGA,” said Caron. “I’m ready to work with my board and truly serve the students, bringing them the tangible results that they want.”
Caron’s goals include bridging the gap between the fourth floor of Donahue and the rest of the campus, along with working towards commuter and residence equality. As for residence life, the absence of Greek life from the residence halls is something that Caron feels should be addressed and modified, as well as the opportunity for gender-neutral housing.
“This will also create more of a community here at Suffolk, given that our unique campus provides a few bumps in the road in trying to achieve a solid sense of community.”
However, Caron’s first priority is to extend library hours. “This is something that I feel needs to be done and will improve academic success as well as student satisfaction,” she said.
Tommy Robaina, in the race for vice president, received 233 votes over sophomore Martha Alvarado’s 191. In addition, due to the resignation of former vice president Nick DiZoglio, Robaina was appointed interim vice president for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year.
Robaina, 21 of Miami, is a Marketing major with a minor in Business Law and Ethics.
“Suffolk can count on me to ensure SGA is doing their best to represent the student body,” he said. “Throughout the campaign I kept it simple: enforce SGA legislation and standardize how we handle student complaints.”
Executive reliability to the student body is something that Robaina is determined to enhance.
“It ensures that members are actually serving the students who elected them,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen some great pieces of legislation fall through the cracks after being passed, such as the SGA Freedom of Information Act. It called for the recording and publishing of our meetings online, which we have yet to do. This is just one example of what needs to be enforced, but it’s one of the first ones I want to correct.”
Another goal of Robaina’s is the standardization of student complaints and comments, as well as their follow-up.
“In the past, we’ve never communicated this back to the students but I plan to change that. As soon as we hear something, they will too.”
Sophomore Samienta Pierre-Vil was elected SGA secretary. Pierre-Vil, interested in the promotion of SGA awareness, has planned to attend various Suffolk club meetings and events in order to exhibit the involvement of the Executive Board. This reliability and presence is something that is imperative in her goals.
Freshman Connor Finley, in an unchallenged race, was elected as Treasurer. Finley, 19, of Durham, CT, is a public relations major with a minor in political science.
Finley’s goals involve not only the competent management of student funds, but the ability to be a person that the student body feels comfortable to approach for help.
“My hopes for the position is to take care of the student’s money, spend it very wisely and be sure to fund things that benefit the students,” Finley said. “People can count on me to be around whenever they need me. I’m honored to be on the E-board of SGA and I want students to know that I am here to work for them.”
