Variety stickers on a table. Mariami Kentchadze | Enterprise Reporter

Utica University’s Student Government Association on Sept. 22 opened the voting period for its fall 2023 election. The voting period, which saw 130 students participating in the voting process, concluded on Sept. 23 after which six students were elected into SGA leadership positions. 

In the race for underclass senator, first-year student Xavier Moore was the sole candidate and after being voted in said he intends to elevate the consciousness and awareness of the campus body through open conversations and aims to chip away at the barriers placed between students. 

“My intention to materialize those goals [that] are rooted in student participation,” Moore said. “I plan on collaborating with students, student-officers, and faculty to first increase student participation.”

Stephanie Guseva, Anais Jaikissoon and Ash Tavarez all secured spots within the upperclass senate. 

Guseva, a biology major with minors in chemistry and health and society, said being a STEM major influenced her decision to run for office.  

“Utica has a large population of students interested in the healthcare field who need representation,” Guseva said. “Not only that but having an anthropology minor broadened my horizon regarding all the different cultures on campus that deserve to be heard and recognized.”

For Jaikissoon, the decision to enter student government was fueled by the desire to make a change in the community. 

“When I first learned about being elected, I was excited and grateful,” Jaikissoon said. “I was thankful because being elected by my peers showed they trusted me to represent the upper class.” 

Tavarez on the other hand plans on using her involvement in other organizations on campus to bring a different perspective of the student body that attends the university.

“I hope to work closely with all of us who hold positions in SGA, especially the E-board to further improve the communication between the student body and SGA since sometimes people may feel intimidated to raise their concerns themselves,” Tavarez said

With three total candidates, the race for graduate senator saw the most competition. However, graduate student Zachary Nordstrom was voted in to occupy its sole seat in the Senate. 

Ryan Brousseau, a cybersecurity major who was voted in as first-year class president, said though he originally didn’t have an interest in student government, he did have an interest in getting involved more in social extracurriculars.

“My goal is for everyone to graduate with beaming grins on their faces and an unending tide of fond memories,” Brousseau said. “There’s a million things to do to achieve that but for right now I want [to] get as many people involved on campus as possible by giving people a million things to get involved in.” 

SGA President Kathi Jabe said the first election of the new semester is always exciting but this year’s was “invigorating.” 

“They are eager to engage and voice their opinions,” Jabe said. “I can only hope to mirror their passion and work towards nurturing it. I’m incredibly excited to witness how our senators will contribute and lead in driving the changes we all aspire to see on campus.”