The Student Government Association gained seven new senators during the fall semester, filling seats left vacant after elections last spring.
Three students joined the freshman delegation. The arts and sciences delegation gained a new member, as well as the nursing delegation. The remaining two students were sworn in as at-large senators.
Freshman Delegation
by Meredith Mutter
Sydni Harris, Jordan Rabadi and Ideleniza Morillo were sworn in as freshman senators.
Sydni Harris, a political science major in the 3+3 program for a Juris Doctorate, is planning on working with the finance committee. She said she is eager for the opportunity to bring her voice to the SGA.
“My goal with this position is to have a key role in understanding how important student voices are for SHU development,” Harris said. “I want to use my unique perspective and background to continue finding innovative ways to benefit our student community and organizations.”
Harris said she had previous experience with student government. “I wanted to continue developing myself in a community-oriented association and help voice my peers' opinions or concerns if ever needed,” Harris said.
Jordan Rabadi, a diplomacy and international relations major, joined both the finance and student life committees. Rabadi said he is committed to “fight for the needs” of the freshman student body.
“My goal is to allow for the voice of commuters to be heard and to create a committee that would represent solely the interests of commuters since they feel that they need a space to speak their minds freely and find solutions to their concerns,” Rabadi said.
Ideleniza Morilla, a business major, joined the student life committee and has also expressed interest in the public relations committee. Her goals are to help make campus safer, as well as help other freshmen adjust to college life, she said.
“I love to be involved on campus and also make a change,” Morilla said. “SGA allows me to do both. I did SGA in high school, and even though it wasn’t as severe as college, I still enjoyed it.”
Nursing Delegation
by Kevin Espinal
Priya Verma, a freshman nursing major, joined the nursing delegation.
“Seton Hall’s Student Government Association is the most dedicated, trustworthy, and helpful student body I have ever been a part of,” Verma said.
Verma said she wanted to increase "communication between students and the University” and contribute "various ideas to help improve public relations within and outside the University."
“Through observations, research, and one of our most recent events, Town Hall, I noticed that the [Interprofessional Health Sciences] campus is out of the loop of most events,” Verma said.
One of Verma’s goals is to increase contact so more events can be held at both campuses. “This will be easier for students and commuters,” she said. “I always try to make a difference. I talk about an idea, and put it into action, without pushing it to the side.”
Verma said she believes the SGA is headed in a positive direction. “We did have issues regarding our finance committee, however now that that is resolved, I feel like it can only get better from here,” she said.
Arts & Sciences Delegation
by Vivienne Dotoli
Navya Gutti, a sophomore biology major in the 7-year BS/MD program, is a new arts and sciences senator. She is a part of the public relations committee.
“I hope to launch events and initiatives alongside my other senators that appeal to everyone here at Seton Hall,” Gutti said. “I am also interested in promoting events that can not only help our school and student life but also improve our community.”
At-Large Senators
by Jiaqi Liu and Avalon Swanson-Reid
Dante Bertoli, a freshman in the 3+3 Political Science program, is one of the new at-large senators.
Bertoli, who is the new Finance Committee chair, said he wanted to become a senator on “two key ideals.”
“One, I wanted to be a representative for the student body in order for change to occur,” Bertoli said. “And second, I wanted to prepare myself for when I run for U.S. Senate in the future.”
Daniel Braile, a junior economics and political science major, is another new at-large senator.
Braile said he intends to focus on students’ mental health needs.The SGA is working on ways to “further the initiative” of the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services program, Braile said.
“I believe that this is the most clear and evident issue facing the student body today,” Braille said. “As I know from experience, mental illness is a very tricky thing to tackle, and is often extremely personal.”
Braile said that the SGA needs to “be better” at addressing the mental health demand of students.
“I believe SGA needs to work on several fronts to ensure all student needs are met,” he said. “SGA has been really good about considering the needs of students and working on them to rectify certain issues.”
