SGA election results are in: 12 new members join committee
By Shawn Potter
Comment Columnist
The results are in. The Student Government Association (SGA) has elected two new members to serve on the committee.
The SGA serves as the voice of students at Bridgewater State University. The SGA helps each student-run organization to grow and develop into something greater.
Jessica Hunter, a freshman at BSU, was elected Senator of the Class of 2018. Sefora Alcindor, a sophomore, was elected Senator of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The SGA has elected twelve new members, Hunter and Alcindor are only two of them.
Both newly inducted women explained the steps they took in order to be elected. They both had a packet signed by 100 of their fellow classmates. The signatures were inspected by the Senate Chair of SGA to ensure each signature was valid and that each student who signed attends BSU.
Hunter explained that in her circumstance, she was immediately elected afterwards because she was the only one running, unbeknownst to her. She said, “It was an automatic win, I didn’t know that I was going to be the only one running, so I was campaigning for myself.”
Hunter also mentioned that because of her outgoing personality, it was very easy to acquire 100 signatures, even if they could only come from freshman students, since she was going to be representing them.
As for her responsibilities, she said, “For me in particular, since I advocate for the freshmen, anything pertaining to them such as freshman dorm problems, I would bring that up to the council’s attention.”
Alcindor, who is a transfer student from Massasoit College, was elected by nearly the same criteria as Hunter. She said, “I am the liaison for two clubs. The African Amercian Society and the Haitian American Society. I am in charge of taking any questions the clubs have and answering them, and I am responsible for knowing the answers. If I do not know the answer, I consult with the other senators.”
Both women hold their senator positions for one year until the next election in the fall. The Student Government Association works hard to ensure that students are growing and that the college is prospering as a community.
Kevin Costa, the SGA President, was elected and sworn in as the Student Government Association’s President at the end of the 2014 Spring semester.
Costa explained how the SGA has been viewed in the past, he said, “In past years, the SGA has been viewed as essentially a ‘piggy-bank’ for clubs and organizations. When I ran for President, I ran with the intent of refocusing the SGA and to start serving as the voice of students once more.”
A few of his current responsibilities consist of serving as the official liaison between the SGA and the University. He must also appoint students to the SGA boards, University committees, and ad-hoc committees, as well as preparing an End of the Year Report.
Eventually, Costa will be graduating from Bridgewater State University and someone else will have to take his place. He shared some words of advice for anyone who is interested in the position of SGA President.
“If someone wanted to run for SGA President in the future,” said Costa, “I would tell him or her to never forget what the role of the Student Government Association exactly is. I would also advise them to establish meaningful connections with diverse student leaders.”
He ended his statement with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which he says he has hanging up in his office. It says, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Shawn Potter is a Comment Columnist.
