By Luke Butner

The Student Government Association (SGA) President Sloanne Petersen sat down with The Collegian for an interview to share updates on campus initiatives and committee work this semester. As the SGA president, Petersen oversees most student-focused operations, including facilitating meetings, coordinating club leadership, ensuring organizations meet requirements and allocating funds to clubs.

Petersen brings a large range of campus experience to her role. She has participated in the international club, contributed to The Collegian, worked with the Pride Pantry, been involved with Village 401 and religious life, served as a student ambassador for the Collegiate Hunger Challenge and conducted research in Aquatic Ecology. Her experiences have allowed her to be intricately connected with many parts of campus, a quality that has no doubt been valuable to her as SGA president.

Several committees and projects are currently in motion. One of the most active is the cafeteria committee, a student board that aims to enhance the dining experience on campus. Among their current discussions, they are attempting to rework the meal-plan framework so students can efficiently swipe their friends into the dining hall. Furthermore, SGA is leading a parking discussion between students and staff to explore ways to make campus parking safer and more efficient for students.

There is also a facility improvement committee under SGA. This committee brings together students, high-ranking faculty and staff to address long-needed updates to existing campus infrastructure. Their focus is on smaller but meaningful upgrades, such as improving ventilation systems in residence halls, rather than large-scale changes to the GC campus.

This year, SGA hosted a discussion that led to extended student center hours, a change welcomed by many students. Looking ahead, Petersen mentioned other major ideas, such as creating a “president’s list” to recognize students with exceptionally high GPAs, exploring the possibility of including textbooks in tuition costs and increasing student involvement by launching new committees and clubs on campus. She admits that these changes will likely not happen during her presidency, but rather she aims to create a stepping stone for future student leaders.

Petersen ended the conversation with a final message to the student body: “Read your Leo’s Lineup, fill out the surveys I send you and come to General Assembly meetings.” The meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. and all students are encouraged to attend.