Waverly Hart
News Editor
This week, newly elected senators to the Student Government Association (SGA), including five at-large senators and five senators for each class year, will start their term. The complete list of the new senators was finalized and announced in an email to students on April 2.
The senators for the class of 2021 include Sam Casey, Tanaka Chingonzo, Omar Kelly, Olivia Proe and Sydney Schuster. The senators for the class of 2020 include Anna Medema, Elisa Nikolich, Nabil Osborn, Robin Perry, with Matt Mayes and Nick Shereikis serving as co-senators. The senators for the class of 2019 are Garrett Layde, CJ Mandell, Callie Ogland-Hand, Adelaide Tsueda and Christina Vukovich. Additionally, five at-large senators from various classes were elected: Anthony Cisneros ’19, Henry Mai ’20, Grace O’Leary ’20, Juwan Shabazz ’19 and Gabe Wasylko ’19.
While several of the elected senators are returning from past years, this will be the first year for several, including Wasylko, who said he is both excited and surprised to be elected to SGA for the first time.
“I didn’t really think I had a chance of winning because there were so many great candidates on the ballot who represent the College in such an amazing way,” Wasylko said. “I am so honored to work with so many great student leaders on campus and I am thankful for the opportunity to represent such an amazing student body.”
This is O’Leary’s second year serving as an at-large senator. She hopes to continue the work that she began last year.
“I decided to run for SGA for a second term in a row so that I could continue the work that I had been doing with the group. I have been working on the constitution and hope that I can finish those edits and revisions promptly,” O’Leary said.
First-year Sam Casey said that he was optimistic about what could be accomplished.
“I’ve only been to a couple meetings, but it isn’t hard to notice that everyone gets along with each other very easily,” said Casey. “SGA and Campus Council are continuing to work closer with each other which will help us get things done more smoothly.”
Additionally, Casey encouraged students to talk to him about any concerns they might have.
“I think students notice things they want to change, but they are not made in a ‘formal complaint,’ but rather in a discussion with friends. So I want to work on keeping my ears open and making sure people know they can come to me,” Casey said.
The senators have different goals for the year, ranging from long-term ideas to specific things they hope to accomplish in the near future. Proe would like to increase the transparency of options available to survivors of sexual assault.
“The College has a wide variety of resources available for survivors of assault that I think we can do a better job of publicizing,” Proe said. “I’d like to see them given out at either A.R.C.H. or orientation so everyone knows what’s available to them from the get go. I am also pushing for mandatory Safe Zone training for professors so queer students feel that they can fully participate in the classroom.”
Senators are also looking to make bigger changes to the dynamic of the campus. When asked what general changes he would like to see to the campus, Wasylko said he wanted to bring the community together.
“My biggest goal is to bring people together and show that the college isn’t just a student body with faculty and staff, but The College of Wooster is a family,” Wasylko said. “We’re stronger together, and I would love to see Wooster embody this not only this year, but for many years to come.”
Although the new senators have been attending the weekly SGA meeting every Wednesday at 8 p.m., they will not officially start their term until the April 18 meeting.