We’re in the home stretch!
With March in the books, it’s crazy to think that we have 22 days left in the spring semester. SGA is shifting into transition mode—finishing projects, tying up loose ends, and laying strong groundwork for the next administration to pick up on. But before we look ahead, it’s important to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this past month.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting one-on-one with a few of the college’s vice presidents over lunch. Each week, I would meet different people in the Lion’s Den, which I intentionally chose because it’s a friendly space where we could interact more casually and get to know each other. We shared some wonderful conversations, bonded over sports and common hobbies, and I gained a greater understanding of SGA’s role in the context of the institution. A common thread I drew upon was our unspoken hustle culture. As Emersonians, it’s fair to say that we like maxing out our Google Calendars, balancing classes, working multiple jobs, being on the board of a student organization, and creating films, plays, and so much more. While this dedication is a testament to our ambition, it also takes a huge toll.
Personally, I’ve had moments where I felt I was just going through the motions of the day without enjoying these precious years. While it’s awesome that we’re all so driven, we need to foster more events and initiatives that are solely aimed at having fun. These joyful, low-stress moments help balance our lives and often become the memories that stick with us the longest. I’m very thankful that we could come together for these conversations, and hope they can facilitate more collaboration in the future.
The idea of fostering community building and fun ties very well into another point of discussion we’ve had all year: third spaces. When we were first elected, one of our talking points was the student need for third spaces on campus. As a vertical campus, most of our space is allocated for students to take classes, perform, film, etc. While these are amazing, we significantly lack spaces intended solely for enjoyment. This fueled a lot of our early conversations, and we kept drawing back to the Lion’s Den. It’s already a really great third space that is loved and used by many Emerson students. Rather than putting boatloads of money towards creating entirely new spaces, why not first try to prop up our existing spaces? With that, we raised the idea of extended Lion’s Den hours to Joan Martinez, associate vice president for facilities and campus services, during one of our General Assembly meetings back in February. Having proposed this, we were overjoyed to hear that after discussions between Facilities and Student Affairs, among others, the Lion’s Den would be getting extended hours for the rest of the semester! We are very thankful for everyone in leadership that worked to make this a reality, and we’re so happy that we were able to deliver on one of our campaign promises.
As mentioned last month, we’re also finalizing a proposal to put $675,000 from the Student Impact Fund into an endowed fund, with the purpose of providing financial aid by creating scholarships for low income students. This process spanned over the course of the year, and we have done our best to ensure that this is driven by the student body. Earlier in the semester, we surveyed the student body, asking for thoughts on what our short-term and long-term priorities should be with the Impact Fund. We received over 260 responses, and the overwhelming majority agreed that financial aid was of utmost priority.
A majority also expressed content with the idea of putting these funds into an endowed fund within the college’s endowment. With that information, we agreed that financial aid had to be the biggest priority for this year. Having decided the goal, we then took time to survey our general assembly about the specifics—how large scholarships should be, who they should target, etc. Using that data, we refined and finalized a contract proposal wherein every year, scholarships in the range of $3,000—$5,000 are given out to underclassmen and transfer students demonstrating financial need, with a particular focus on low-income students who may not otherwise be able to study at Emerson. It will also support seniors who need financial assistance to graduate.
By putting $675,000 into this fund, we are guaranteeing at least $20,000 yearly in scholarships, but more likely in the range of $30,000—$35,000. While I understand potential concerns, a huge driving factor is that this will remain in place for the rest of the college’s existence, meaning our one time investment will help students attend Emerson decades from now. That is the kind of legacy and impact we must strive for at SGA, and given that we will—knock on wood—never have this level of excess funds available again, I believe we have a duty to put these funds toward creating long term value for both current and future Emerson students. Regardless of whether the proposal passes, I’m proud of the work we’ve done this year to explore initiatives through the Impact Fund, and have no doubt that the next administration has a great foundation to build on.
And with transition in mind, we also recently held our Fall 2025 elections. This was my first time being part of an SGA election where I wasn’t running, and it really opened my eyes to the logistics involved in making a school-wide election work. When we first began preparation in February, I set a goal of 250 votes—double last year’s turnout. We pushed a more dynamic and robust social media marketing campaign than last year, and we built on the fall elections by hosting two candidate forums for only the second time ever. By the end of voting, I was overjoyed to know that we got a turnout of 237 votes; slightly below target, but still twice the turnout from last year—a win in my books! Be on the lookout for official communication regarding the results.
This past month has been absolute chaos, but it has had some of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had in my time at Emerson. I look forward to writing one last time for you all, wrapping up my term as SGA President, and passing the torch to the next generation. I hope you are all surviving the last month of classes, good luck, and see you soon!
