becomes new EVP of SGA after Ira Livnat resigns

ADAM DUFFY Editor-in-Chief

Atorch has been passed at Georgia State. On Thursday, Nov. 10th, the Student Government Association held its last meeting of the semester. A semester that saw the passing of numerous pieces of legislation, the seating of many new senators and an increased level of involvement not seen in years.

During this meeting, the Executive Vice President of the Atlanta campus Ira Livnat officially resigned from SGA. In his place, Myla Williams, a senator from the College of Arts and Sciences, was elected into the position after a two-thirds majority vote from the sitting senators.

At the head of this administration, Livnat made it his mission to initiate the new senators and executive members coming into their first year at SGA, while continuing his work for the students.

He accomplished all of these things. Student body president Anthonio Prince and Speaker of the Atlanta Senate Jordan Madden, both of whom were elected last semester and make up the 93rd administration, have expressed that Livnat’s experience in SGA was invaluable in pushing the organization in the right direction.

Livnat is a five-year veteran of SGA, first running for student-body President in his freshman year. Since losing that election, he has worked tirelessly to get into SGA and do unparalleled work for the student body.

Among his laundry list of accomplishments, Livnat has worked with the Parking department to better the parking situation on campus and return thousands of dollars to students. He has worked to make resources like menstrual products and scantrons freely available to students. Just recently, he worked with the Panthercard office to make Panthercards free for two weeks and work to bring the prices of replacements down in the future.

SGA is left in good hands however, Williams has served in the Senate for two years and has served as the Student Services Committee Chair for almost a year. In that time, Williams has held numerous tabling events to promote mental and sexual health, the most out of any seated Senator.

In an interview with The Signal, we asked EVP Williams about her thoughts toward her appointment as EVP.

“After serving as a member of the Senate for the past two years, I’m overjoyed to become the EVP. I am more grateful and thankful than anything that the members of the Senate felt that I was equipped to fulfill the role of EVP. With my position, I plan to establish more structure within the Atlanta campus of SGA. Through serving in the Senate and as the Student Services Committee Chair, a lot of the issues we encountered in SGA this year as well as in the last administration stem from a lack of structure. I plan to work alongside Speaker Madden to help implement a structure that will allow a lot of things to run smoothly. For the student body, I plan to continue the work I did as the Student Services Committee Chair which consisted of working alongside Parking and Transportation to better the parking situation on campus. I plan to serve on the student advisory council for the College of Arts and Sciences and encourage other members of SGA to serve on the advisory councils for their Colleges. In order to bring a different perspective to those councils. I also plan to continue on the initiatives I was working on before, pertaining to mental health, sexual health on campus, safety on campus as well as access to resources.”

We also asked Livnat about his resignation and how he reflects on his nearly half a decade in SGA.

“I will always be a fierce advocate for others. In that regard, nothing’s changed. I chose this moment as a good stopping point for a few reasons. First, I feel that I’ve left no stone unturned, no road not taken, no opportunity unseized. Second, there is a moment where you realize the last thing you have left to give is space and the last thing you have left to do is let go. I think the timing of those two things is critical to ensuring a successful and healthy future for any venture. Of course, eventually, the sun must set. What a beautiful sunset this is. The leadership in SGA is so strong. EVP Myla Williams is more than ready, willing, and able to lead this campus and this organization. Watching her take center stage so gracefully and firmly is inspiring. Similarly, Speaker Jordan Madden is prepared to support her and continue doing great work. There are very few people who are so committed to their position and constituents that they would pass up what most people would consider to be a promotion. But Speaker Madden has done so twice. His commitment to his constituent and his sense of duty is unwavering. I wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing a lot more of him in the near future. I want to express my gratitude to SGA, to Student Media, and to the student body. Thank you for trusting me to lead you. Thank you for standing by me through the easy times and the difficult times. Thank you for believing in me when no one else did. Thank you for giving me the space and time to grow and learn. Thank you.”

The Nov. 10th meeting also saw the departure of Senator Matthew Adjen-Tetty, Financial Director Jennifer Ogbodo and Speaker Pro Tempore Sydney Barret, all students who have done nothing but serve the student body since arriving at Georgia State.

There is a new guard in SGA, and they are committed to continuing the work they have been doing for years.

The welfare of the student body requiresrequiring it.

Friendships Don’t Have to End Based on Differences in Political Affiliation. Stop Ending Friendships Based on Politics!

GABBY MILLER Staff Columnist

Here we are yet again in election season. Some of you may be doing some research on who it is you want to vote for. Many of you are probably rewatching the commercials that have been showing since the late summer.

Election time can be dramatic in your friend groups. A lot of people base their friendships on their political affiliation. Most people befriend those who are like-minded in their affiliation.

If you do not agree with someone about which candidate is best, you may reconsider your friendship. This is also a problem when it comes to dating. Most Americans downright refuse to date someone outside of their political party. However, no one completely agrees with one another about their politics.

Basing friendships based on politics is very closed-minded. You never know who you might meet in the world. What if you met your soulmate and you had everything in common except for your political affiliation? It is silly to think only one way is correct. If you base a relationship on another person’s beliefs, you know he does not believe the same things you do. You are knowingly hoping to press your own political agenda on that person.

Even though it is good to be friends with like-minded people, if you base a friendship on politics too much, that will most likely be the only thing you have in common. Being friends with someone solely on their political beliefs does not mean they would be a good friend to you. Of course, you want to be around people who think like you. However, it is another thing when you drop friends without a second thought if they do not believe the same things as you. It becomes incredibly tiring to be in a relationship or friendship when the only thing you have in common is your political affiliation.

Politics can break friendships quite easily. Nowadays, we see more people fighting over politics instead of religion. Especially during these times, we all want to be right at the end of the day. Oh, you do not think the same way as me? Oh, you do not believe in pro-choice like me? Our friendship is over!

It gets tedious at the end of the day because we base too much stuff on our personal beliefs. We could even lose life-long friends based on each other’s politics. This is why basing your relationships solely off of political affiliation is wrong. It could show how closed-minded humans can be regarding our belief system.

Why You Should Delete Your Dating Apps

Stop swiping and start making real-life connections.

LUIZA DE ABREU Staff Columnist

During the quarantine era of the pandemic, the use of online dating apps skyrocketed. Desperate for a way to connect with one another in such a lonely time, many people turned to their phones to create these connections. However, how true can a connection really be when it’s cultivated in a space that is based solely on looks?

Dating apps are soul-sucking. When we use these apps, we make dating into more of a game than it has already become. You reduce a complex, multifaceted human being to just a couple of pictures. It’s an egotistical and shallow way to meet people. Basing whether or not someone is deserving of your time and affection on whether or not they are attractive enough is incredibly problematic.

Let’s be honest, no one is going on dating apps to meet their soulmate. It is primarily used as a momentary ego booster. It’s hard to beat that feeling you get when you see someone swiped right on your picture. That instant gratification you get from seeing that you matched with someone is addicting.

Though there are some people who have formed long-term relationships through dating apps, it is incredibly rare and uncommon. Many connections formed on these types of apps are fleeting. The most common narrative is that in which you text someone for a while, go on a mediocre date or two, then get ghosted.

When you are getting to know someone through a screen, it makes it hard for some to see them as real people. It creates a sort of disconnect from them and a lack of consideration for their emotions. This can lead to several toxic behaviors, such as leading someone on, ghosting and just flat out wasting people’s time. I know several people who have admitted to having no intention of ever meeting anyone in person from a dating app and just using it to flirt and get that instant gratification of knowing people think you’re attractive.

The chronic use of these apps has created a lack of real-life human connection. We are losing the ability to connect with one another in a meaningful way. When we rely on using technology to meet people, we lose out on one of the most special things about being alive- real human connection. People are all around. There are countless new connections waiting for you every day out there in the world. You don’t need an app to help you meet people. All it takes is a little confidence to start a conversation with someone. Delete the apps and go shoot your shot with that cutie in the coffee shop instead. I promise you won’t regret it.