New SGA officers elected for 2021-2022 year

By VIRGINIA RICHARDSON

Staff Writer

Introducing New 2021-2022 SGA Board’s Goals for the Coming School Year

On March 26, results for the Student Government Association (SGA) elections that took place earlier last month were announced. Seven students have been elected to fulfill 11 individual roles within the association.

Some of the new SGA members shared their motivations for joining and how they aim to improve the campus community. 

Junior sociology major Brianna “Breezy” Reaves was elected as the 2021-2022 SGA president. “I ran for SGA President because much of my work at the University of Mary Washington has been presidential by nature in regards to serving students, being a resource for numerous departments, recruiting students to the university, maintaining meaningful relationships with all students across numerous disciplines, and amplifying the voices of marginalized students on campus, while also being in consistent communication with UMW administration and any efforts to make our university’s culture more reflective of our ASPIRE values.”

Junior political science major Joey Zeldin was elected as the 2021-2022 SGA community relations committee chair and  2023 SGA senator. His goal is “to try to find ways for the community of Fredericksburg to become an integral part of campus life again, as it has been hard during the pandemic for everyone to find a sense of community with virtual learning, distancing, and trying to manage a balance between safety and socialization.” 

He hopes to encourage students to support the local businesses downtown as they recover from consequences of the pandemic. “I hope that with vaccinations, a downtick in COVID-19, and, of course, Eagle Pride, we can foster a healthy and happy relationship with the neighboring communities we are so gracious to be a part of,” Zeldin said.

Junior economics major Denise Naughton was elected as the 2021-2022 SGA ethics and oversight chair and 2023 SGA senator. “I want to have a positive impact on the campus community and advocate for the student body’s needs the best I can,” Naughton said. 

Reaves pointed to a few important issues to be brought up in the new school year. “How can we stay on top of a low report of COVID cases and continue to create a culture of prioritizing the health and wellness of UMW?” she said. “What progress are we making in prioritizing the voices of marginalized students who feel unsafe and unheard at UMW, despite our ASPIRE initiatives and campus reports? What impact do we have and can we begin to create in the greater Fredericksburg community to leave a positive mark on the community that makes our campus so vibrant?” 

With pandemic guidelines beginning to change, Zeldin hopes to encourage and facilitate discussions on how students should continue to interact with the university and its policies. 

“Our mission still stands to be the voice of the students,” he said. “This is especially critical for the upcoming fall 2021 semester, as it will be a time of transition, change and general unknown as we embrace the challenges of a post-pandemic world.”

Naughton said she hopes to improve communication with the student body. “I’m a big advocate for getting direct feedback from the student body through surveys and other means to ensure that we are meeting their needs and standards,” she said. “I hope to achieve passing measures that will make the student body more comfortable and hope to improve communication between students and faculty.” 

The SGA board aims to represent the voices of the student body and act on issues felt by those in the UMW community. 

“Before all else, my responsiveness to the student body is one of my greatest priorities,” said Reaves. “Without knowing the concerns, wants, needs, values, and creative ideas of UMW’s student population I believe there is very little impact that I could have on the UMW community.”