Rider’s SGA holds first Student Senate

By Cal Sutton and Teagan Rotella

A call for anyone who wants munchkins, a treat from SGA to the students in attendance, was how Executive Vice President Olivia Bucs, a senior marketing major, opened the first Student Senate in the Rue Auditorium on Sept. 4.

Student Senate meetings, held every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in the Rue Auditorium, have become an easy way to get involved on campus while also not making students feel obligated to devote their free time to being involved in the SGA. 

Once attendance was taken and students were seated, Bucs started the Senate meeting by explaining the purpose of the meetings is to make sure that students’ voices are heard by both their peers on SGA’s executive board as well as faculty and administration.

On stage, Bucs highlighted the importance of what she wanted to tackle this year with her new position: address student leadership and ensure SGA is a place where students can work on their leadership skills, while also being mindful about burnout.

After Bucs’ opening of the meeting concluded, students with positions in the SGA introduced themselves, including the chairs of committees such as health and safety.

Bucs was elected as SGA’s executive vice president in April and her goals for this coming academic year stand strong. Looking ahead to how she plans to help the student body with Senate meetings, she wants to make sure that her peers feel ready for the professional world.

A goal Bucs is looking forward to achieving is “prioritizing professional development, leadership development and … making sure that students’ concerns are heard and that they feel valued as members of the community.”

This year, Bucs plans to assist SGA in facing change and digesting criticism in a way that helps students and faculty feel a deeper connection. Bucs also hopes to make Senate meetings feel less separated and more like an open environment. “Constructive feedback is the way that we grow as people … I’ll take it all with open arms.”

Along with having a good relationship with her peers, Bucs wants to help faculty and staff have a good connection with the student body. While Bucs acknowledged there are a lot of changes on campus that may be seen as a challenge, such as Rider’s new presidency starting this year, she is confident that the new president will “move [the student body] forward in a positive and sustainable direction.”

Sophomore criminal justice major Ezra Gardocki, who is a Senate chair for humanities and social sciences, held similar values. She explained that regularly attending SGA Student Senate meetings and being involved is important because it keeps students “aware of what’s going on [and] what’s being talked about” on campus.

Gardocki expects to see SGA grow this year. As a chair in the organization, she wants to help make sure students in humanities and social sciences majors get involved around campus. “My goal is to just look out for things that I could do for my specific school and help out with events.”

This year, SGA is operating with a lot of moving parts and is encountering many changes in leadership. Student Senate meetings are an easy way to see what is going on around campus and to suggest ideas and to address any feedback.

Journey New is social media editor for The Rider News and is the student organizations committee chair for SGA. They had no part in the writing or editing of this story.