The Significance of the SGA: A Student’s Testimony
By: Emily Gaudet
Our newest feature in our club series is USJ’s Student Government Association! We sat down with Robert Longo, current SGA president, and asked a few questions about the club and his experience within it. For any interest in joining or asking questions about the SGA, please contact [email protected] or contact Longo directly at [email protected]. The SGA holds meetings every week in the dining hall and strives to make itself available to the student body. The following is the interview Emily Gaudet and Abigail Hubbard held with Longo!
Robert Longo: I’m Robert Longo. I’m the student government president for the school year.
Emily Gaudet: When did you become president?
Longo: So elections are held at the end of the previous year. I was elected last year before the summer.
Emily: How or why did you choose to start the club or did you start the club? Do you know the origins of student government at all?
Longo: Yeah, student government has, historically, been on campus and then it was disbanded or not upkept during COVID. So for the past two years, we’ve been reestablishing it and recodifying.
Emily: All right, how’s the club going this semester?
Longo: It’s pretty good. We’re just kind of focused on student advocacy and making sure that we’re hearing students’ needs and their problems and setting up networks between the student government and parts of the school.
Emily: And that kind of goes into my next question. Why is it important to have this club represented on campus?
Longo: Well, it’s important because SGA in this form is the best way to get your thoughts or problems heard as a student and get them represented to the administration.
Emily: How do people join if they’re interested?
Longo: Yeah, they can join by either emailing me or we have flyers throughout campus with QR codes to join; they might have gotten taken down though. And then you can speak directly to Steve Lauffin from student activities.
Emily: Okay, and then last thing, when are your meetings? Do you meet regularly?
Longo: Yeah, we meet as a senate regularly. Right now, our time is 4:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. in middle dining on Tuesdays.
Emily: Okay, that’s all I have, thank you for coming!
Though we have yet to sit down and experience an SGA meeting ourselves, it seems that USJ’s student government is ready and willing to reach out to the student body and connect with its needs. Students are welcome at all senate meetings and can always participate in the elections held every spring! Additionally, if students would like to stay in the know about campus events, issues on campus, and related news, tuning in to the senate meetings would be a great way to do it. Student advocacy on campus is a necessary and vital thing! Make sure to use your voice if there’s anything change you’d like to see or campus issues you’d like to resolve.