The outs and ins: Former and current SGA administration talk what's next for them
The 2023-24 Student Government Association administration swore in the newly elected leadership for the 2024-25 academic year on April 22 in the Staples Family Concert Hall. The event aimed to both celebrate the accomplishments of the previous administration and to welcome in the new administration.
Central Michigan Life spoke with the members of the 104th and 105th administrations to discuss how they feel exiting and entering their respective roles.
Tyler Zimmerman
Zimmerman served as the SGA president for the 2023-24 academic year. He said his time in SGA has been great, and he believes his administration accomplished a lot.
"We're happy with what we've accomplished are excited to pass off the torch," he said.
In writing his speech for the inauguration and reflecting on the year, he said he looked toward the committee chairs and their accomplishments to give proper shoutouts. He also reviewed his own minutes from the meetings to fully "capture" what they did this year.
Zimmerman is set to graduate with a degree in environmental health and safety in December of this year. After he graduates, he plans to attend graduate school, but is not yet sure of the location.
"I'm excited for one more semester," he said. "I can't wait to see what they (the new administration) accomplish."
Ryan Biller
Biller served as the SGA vice president for the 2023-24 academic year. Similarly to Zimmerman, he said he believed the administration accomplished a lot and is ready to see what the next administration does.
"I'm so excited to see what's to come," he said. "I think (the new administration) will do a good job."
Biller is also set to graduate in December with a degree in music education. He said he hopes to become a music teacher in either a middle school or high school, possibly in a bigger city.
In writing his speech, Biller reflected on conversations from the last Board of Trustees meeting. He said he wanted to stress the importance of SGA on campus and how it can influence change.
"SGA is a place for student voices," he said. "Because of that, we can advocate for better change not just for ourselves but future CMU students."
Natalie Brant
Brant served as the SGA treasurer during the 2023-24 academic year. Now exiting the role, she said she is very proud of the administration and everything they overcame during the year.
"The challenges we faced have forced us to grow," she said. "And I think they've made us better."
Brant will be graduating this May with a degree in pre-law, and will be continuing on to law school at the University of Kansas in the fall. She said she's excited for this next chapter in her life, and for SGA's.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity being on the board has gave me, and I look forward to seeing what they (the new administrators) do next," she said.
Carolina Hernandez-Ruiz
Hernandez-Ruiz is a rising senior and the newly elected president of the student body. She said she's honored to have been elected for the role and receive the support she has from the student body, and is excited for the challenge of running SGA.
"I have full trust in myself and my team," she said.
Hernandez-Ruiz shared many goals she has for SGA, such as:
- Incorporating DEI training in the committees,
- working together with registered student organizations (RSOs) to build relationships and make it easier to book spaces for events,
- more social media posts and
- further education on the importance of passing and proposing legislation.
She said that many students don't know that SGA is a governing body that can help pass university policies on the behalf of students. She said SGA is a "tool" for connecting and communicating with university administration for this purpose.
Hernandez-Ruiz also said that she hopes her administration will embody their slogan: “Less talk, more action.”
"It's not what we say, but what we do that matters," she said. "We want to put our hearts into it and work with good intentions."
Aashka Barot
Barot is a freshman and the newly elected vice president for SGA. She said she is grateful to have been elected, and it's a feeling she can't explain or express.
"As a freshmen, I didn't expect to get a big role in such a short amount of time," she said.
Barot extended her gratitude to Hernandez-Ruiz for approaching her with the idea of running for SGA. She also said as the first Indian vice president for SGA, she hopes to set a good example for the international community on campus and make their journey at Central memorable.
Additionally, she said a lot of the administration's goals focus on making SGA more inclusive and accessible to students through the use of social media, sending out memos and providing more opportunities for student feedback and input to SGA directly.
"We are a government body for the students," she said. "We want their voices to be heard in any way possible."
Akua Acheampong
Acheampong is a freshman and the newly elected treasurer for SGA. She said she is both excited and nervous for her role and the potential changes that come with it, but believes she'll succeed despite being new to the university.
"People say that freshman don't have a lot of experience, but that's not true," she said. "Being a freshman does not limit you from achieving great things."
Like the other members of the administration, Acheampong highlighted the importance of students’ wants and needs, as well as the importance of communicating the happenings of SGA with students.
"Students have been put last in the past," she said. "We want to flip that and take them into consideration. ... Students are going to know more about SGA going forward, and that's a good thing."
Madison Coleman
Coleman is a junior and the SGA's first-ever elected associate justice for the new judicial branch. She said she's excited to get the branch up and running in the fall.
"It's a little nerve-wracking, since I'm the only one right now," she said. "But I believe I can do it."
Coleman said her biggest goal with the judicial branch is building it up and finding other associate justices, as well as seeing how the branch will operate. While she said the SGA constitution has no guidelines for how the branch will operate, she's excited to take on the challenge of starting it.
"I think it's going to be a great edition and bring a level of neutrality to SGA," she said.
