Vol. 89, No. 23

VOL. 89 | NO. 23 04 / 05 / 22 EST. 1933

Independent, Impactful & Impartial

The Signal Special Issue

SGA: ELECTIONS AND A YEAR IN REVIEW What you need to know

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IN THIS ISSUE : Meet your SGA Candidates Pg. 04 We discuss the accomplishments of SGA in the 20212 0 2 2 s c h o o l y e a r. P g . 0 6

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Editor’s Note This is a special edition of The Signal, covering the accomplishments and latest news of the Student Government Association, as well as the upcoming elections.

Please enjoy, - Deena

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From The Office of The Speaker of The Atlanta Senate Student Government Association at Georgia State University 92nd Administration (2021-2022)

My Fellow Panthers, It is once again that time of year when we get together to share our dreams and visions of what this great university can become. It is once again that time of year when we get together to make the hard choices of who will lead us into the unknown, who will bear the burden of speaking on behalf of our student body, who will dedicate their every spare second to the good of the university. It is time to vote in the SGA elections.

For a school of nearly 60,000 students, we barely have any students that vote in our elections. When I ran for president as a freshman in 2019, we had a record-breaking 2,000 votes cast. That’s 3% of the voting population at GSU. Perhaps that’s not your fault, though. Perhaps that is the result of years and years of ineffective student governance which has convinced almost all of us that our student government doesn’t matter and can’t get anything done. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s how you felt about your SGA, no it wouldn’t surprise me at all. While it may have been true of the SGAs of the past, your current student government is not like that of the past. The 92nd administration has done things no other administration has ever done: Work with Parking to increase access to decks and issue refunds and credits totaling nearly $30,000 given back to students, work with the Dean of Students to increase your rights to education by removing a policy in the code of conduct which allows teachers to remove students from the class without due process, abolish punitive fines, develop new safety measures, and launch free menstrual product distribution, establish a new Judiciary, and much more. You might not have known that many of these changes you’ve seen this year were a direct result of your SGA working with the administrators, but chances are your college experience is better today than it was a year ago.

Don’t be fooled, there is much work to be done. But that is precisely why it’s so important that you participate in these elections. Your voices matter. They not only decide your leadership, but they make it clear to the university what matters most to you. When a candidate running on a platform receives a record-breaking number of votes, it sends a message to the university officials indicating what the students want. It gives your student leaders a mandate to bring about the change they promised in their campaign, and it inspires others to get involved.

As we head into this year’s election season, don’t make the same mistake that many students before you made. Don’t stand on the sidelines as your college experience slips through your fingertips. Participate!

Get involved! Come to the SGA debates, read about the candidates, engage in conversation, challenge the candidates, demand accountability, and do your duty to your school and to each other: Vote!

The welfare of the student body requiring it, Ira Livnat Speaker of the Atlanta Senate Student Government Association

Spread: News WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/NEWS

Meet your SGA Candidates SGA President Candidates Ira Livnat In my four years at Georgia State, I have served in eight different leadership positions in five organizations.

I am currently a first-year in the College of Law and a 4th-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences.

I also am pursuing a dual degree through the ABJD program in the Honors College, of which I am also a member. This year, I served as the Speaker of the Atlanta senate of SGA. I served on the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFC), the Mandatory Student Fee Committee (MSFC), and the Student Center Advisory Committee (SCAC).

Equipped with the experience and knowledge of GSU’s student engagement framework, I am running for President of SGA to improve the current infrastructure, increase student access to resources, and reinvigorate student engagement.

Kirsten McManus

I am an African American woman passionate about making a change for the better.

I have continuously led my peers in leadership positions throughout my educational career. I was the captain of my cheerleading team, captain of the women’s lacrosse team, public speaker for ceremonies, and chosen to represent my school at district meetings.

I created an organization at my high school named Black Excellence Understood, also known as BE.U. This organization is a place for students of all races to gather and learn about African American culture. It has expanded its number of members every year. I aspire to be the CEO of a successful company.

I am actively working to shadow and network with people in C-Suite positions to see their strategies for leading a team. I have led group projects and collaborated with teams to complete tasks.

President is the best fit for me and will be a way for me to implement my leadership skills. I am a great communicator, public speaker, goal-oriented, punctual, analytical, design thinker and collaborator.

I believe that our world is only as good as our youth. Our future depends on this generation, and I am determined to lead my peers toward the path of greatness. College students are graduating every year and entering the world with bright minds.

I would be a great leader who guides my peers in being their best selves. We grow and learn our entire lives, but this is the moment we use what we have learned to positively impact the world.

I value everyone and as president I would ensure that my classmates enhance their strengths and magnifying their confidence to accomplish great things in the world.

My goal is to get students actively involved in campus activities. The pandemic has created a barrier for students to connect ,and I will find ways to close the gap. I will enhance the college experience by spreading the word faster about events so more people can attend. I will appeal to all groups and interests.

I will ensure that each student’s experience is personal and enjoyable.

I will connect with students on all campuses and those who commute to ensure their concerns are heard. I will establish an even more exciting environment for Georgia State. I will encourage students to want to learn and have fun while doing it.

Anthonio Prince

I graduated from Bahamas Academy in June 2019 as the head boy, valedictorian, and senior class vice president. It was there that I found my love for science, specifically biology.

I realized that majoring in Biology at Georgia State as an international student would bring me one step closer to reaching my goal of obtaining the knowledge and experience needed to successfully enter the practice of neurosurgery as a welltrained, highly competent neurosurgeon.

What stood out to me was the diversity of the student body and the city-vibe the school offers. I possess the skills and qualifications that are an excellent match for the university-wide President of SGA. A few of my characteristics and abilities are assertiveness, building alliances, commitment, conflict resolution, influence and presentation skills.

I aim to address all student problems, enhance internal SGA communication, increase the student body’s understanding of SGA, and expand student representation on all university committees and decision-making bodies.

I am an authentic leader with experience and a vision. I believe I share a dream and a path that students want to share and follow. I am devoted to exceeding everyone’s expectations, and I am focused on mastering new abilities to prevail in this job.

My goal is to be an effective leader, develop a better and more connected student community, and emphasize the value of receiving student feedback on what they want to see in their community. Making students feel comfortable giving it.

Speaker of the Senate Candidates Jordan Madden

I am Jordan Madden, a 17-year-old Public Policy major here at Georgia State. On-campus, I am a 1913 Society student ambassador, a member of the Young Democrats of Georgia State, and a student of the Social Action Alliance program.

Outside of campus, I am a hub coordinator, Public Narrative Coach for Sunrise Movement, a testimony organizer and state Coalition Director for the Youth Justice Coalition, a legislative fellow at the State Capitol, and a campaign volunteer for many different public officials!

My main priorities are sustainability, education, and public safety, and I have helped develop policy and craft legislation around them. I am interested in this student government office because I want to help fester a profitable relationship with the student body, the administration of GSU, and community leaders and organizations.

Qayla Shipp

About Me: Before now, I’ve had a lot of leadership accomplishments in many clubs thoughout the past few years.

In those years, the ones I’m most proud of is my senior year in Air Force JROTC; my retired Air Force instructors chose me to be the Unit Corps Commander.

That job and all the many responsibilities of running a unit and winning various national awards are why I believe I am qualified to do this job.

In my four years of being a part of the unit and working my way up to corps commander, I feel like I’ve gained so much knowledge in what it means to be not just a leader but a part of a team.

Why Am I Running: I am running because I’ve always had a heart for service.

Being the Speaker of the Senate will require a lot of organization, which I know I have.

Not only that but working with others to achieve a common goal is something I highly believe in. Should I be voted into this position, I’m looking forward to working with such an intelligent group of people and achieving great things.

SGA Executive Vice President Candidates Ahmed Abdullah Chowdhury

I always try to push myself hard on whatever I do. I am running for this position to become a voice for the students and help them connect better with the admins through the help of SGA. I believe student life is one of the most wonderful and best times of an individual’s life, and I want to take steps to make the Dunwoody campus student life more interactive and fun through new uprising club events and activities. I want to work mostly with clubs and organizations so they can make and handle more events, create more opportunities for students to express themselves, and make a strong connection between the administration and the students.

I am a Criminal Justice Major.

I was a part of a Civil War History Project from Perimeter College 92nd SGA EVP for Dunwoody Campus.

Senator Candidates Headshot:

Joyita Davis

Gabriel Mercado

Aryan Pandey

Zacchary Patton

Atlanta - Undergraduate Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Atlanta - Undergraduate J. Mack Robinson College of Business

Atlanta - Undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences

Atlanta - Undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY SGA CANDIDATES

NEWS

April 5, 2022

WWW.GEORGIASTATESIGNAL.COM/NEWS

Over the summer of 2021, SGA moved into a new office on the second floor of Student Center West alongside GSU student media.

PHOTO BY EVAN KOENIGS | THE SIGNAL

Student Government Association; a year in review A list of the accomplishments of SGA in the 2021-2022 school year.

ADAM DUFFY News Editor

T

he 2022 student government elections are just around the corner. As we students get ready to vote for who will represent us in the coming year, it is essential to look back and see what SGA has accomplished in the past 365 days.

SGA began this year with a change of scenery.

Over the summer of 2021, SGA moved into a new office on the second floor of Student Center West alongside GSU student media.

This new office has allowed SGA to operate closer to where most students spend their time on campus. The office is open regular hours on weekdays for students to come and speak with members of SGA. SGA started the school year by reaching an unprecedented agreement with GSU Parking.

After the parking department delayed the release of budget cards to students who applied for one, our representatives were able to pressure the department to provide students with the budget cards they had requested and return the excess money students had spent parking at five dollars a day.

The organization gave $30,000 back to students and created an incentive program that would provide students with five free parks if they applied for a card by a specific date.

SGA would end the semester with another monumental achievement, the formation of the United Student Organizations.

Students will be able to use the USO to promote collaboration between student organizations, allowing them to share budgets and split efforts to accomplish more than they could on their own.

Current Speaker of the Atlanta Campus Senate Ira Livnat spearheaded the initiative and was backed by Vice-President of Student Engagement and Dean of Students Micheal Sanseviro.

During the USO’s opening event on November 12th, nearly a hundred students from dozens of GSU’s student organizations signed the organization’s founding document.

Sanseviro spoke during this meeting. He talked about his feelings about what Georgia State needed and how important

the USO could be in his speech.

“It is time for change at Georgia State. - As much as there’s this great growth and progress, there are also some things that are not sustainable.”

After winter break, SGA would return by holding university-wide meetings with representatives from every GSU campus.

“

It is time for change at Georgia State. As much as there’s this great growth and progress, there are also some things that just are not sustainable.

— DR. MICHEAL SANSEVIRO

”

Dean of Student & Vice-President for Student Engagement

In these meetings, SGA discussed significant policies in the works and the welfare of the student body.

The hallmark of the last semester for SGA was a law that created a judicial body as a part of SGA rather than a separate entity tied to the university.

Just this past Thursday, the SGA swore in its first student

representative appointed justices to the new Student Judicial Board.

As the semester progressed and election season drew closer, the senate worked to change several policies to improve the quality of life for students at Georgia State.

At the instructor’s discretion, a policy allowing professors to remove students from their classroom was sunset.

The SGA abolished another policy this semester that greatly impacted student organizations.

If a student organization reserved a room in Student Center West for an event, and did not show up at the set time or canceled the reservation without proper notice, the school would levy a fine against the student whose name was on the reservation.

This fine would hold act as a hold on the students’ accounts, not allowing them to register for classes until paid.

If the student did not pay the fine within a specific time window, the dollar amount would increase.

After some back and forth between SGA and Student Center administration, the groups reached a deal to give money back to the students in more ways than one.

Individual students who had paid fines or had pending penalties on their accounts had their money returned. The number of funds collected from students during the four years of this policy totaled over $10,000.

An additional $20,000 was given back to students in the form of the shared student organizations fund, a pool of money that all student organizations can pull from to fund their events.

The week before spring break, SGA began an initiative to provide free menstrual products to all students on campus.

These products will first become available in every female bathroom on campus but will expand to more locations in the future.

Now that you see what SGA has accomplished in this past school year, it is essential to thoroughly review the candidates running this year, reflect on what you want to see change at Georgia State and vote so that work can continue. Ballots open on Saturday the 9th. To vote, go to pin.gsu.edu.

Student Government Association; a year in review Photos Submitted by SGA

Ballots for the 2022 student government elections open on Saturday the 9th.

To vote, go to pin.gsu.edu.

Freshman liaisons being sworn into the senate.

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