The big winner this weekend was Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Academic Affairs Matthew Beck, who won the election for SGA President. 

The change in responsibilities is something Beck is ready for. “I’m super excited and honored to begin my term as Student Government Association president and I accept all the new responsibilities that come with the role. Some of these include chairing the Executive Committee and Senate meetings, meeting regularly with the President of Rowan University, coordinating and running senator workshops and enforcing the bylaws of the Student Government Association,” Beck said. 

In his previous role as AVP of Academic Affairs, Beck was able to work with the Rowan administration to help create the Pass/No Credit option upon the beginning of the pandemic, among other things. Stepping into the higher role means stepping up to bigger challenges for Beck.

“I hope to support the newly elected and returning SGA executive board members in initiatives in areas including, but not limited to, food insecurity, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion,” Beck said.

Beck will continue to carry on the “open door policy” as SGA President. “Students can either stop by my physical office or set up a virtual meeting with me at any time,” Beck said. These meetings are the way to raise concerns with the SGA President for their meetings with Rowan President Ali Houshmand. 

Beck concluded his statement optimistically, saying, “I look forward to continuing to serve as a student voice to help shape our future as a university.”

The other big winner this weekend was Secretary Sarah McClure, who won the election for SGA Executive Vice President (EVP) over the weekend. McClure, who has been involved with SGA since her sophomore year, when she ran for the Honors College Senator position, is taking a large leap going from Secretary to EVP, but remains enthusiastic. 

“As Executive Vice President, I’ll be focusing a lot more on student organizations as opposed to taking minutes and writing newsletters, so it will be a big change! I’m really looking forward to these new challenges. I’m excited that I get to see all the ideas students come up with when they want to start a new club first,” McClure said. 

Along with helping clubs in their initial start up phases, McClure also has ideas for getting more clubs in the spotlight on campus. “I plan to host two club showcase events, where clubs can sign up to perform or display their club projects towards the end of each semester. I think this will be a great way for them to show off what they’ve accomplished during the year,” McClure said. 

Having been a part of the organization for multiple years now, McClure spoke proudly about what SGA has accomplished on campus. “I watched SGA provide valuable input on things such as mental health advocacy, diversity, communication, campus construction and more. The school has been greatly improved in big and small ways by this year’s board, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it,” McClure said.

McClure went on to say that she hopes she can help make the SGA even more responsive to and reflective of Rowan students in her new position as EVP. “I plan to do more outreach events around campus so students become more familiar with who represents them. It is my hope that this will also increase participation in any events or even surveys that SGA puts out, so we can more accurately represent the community at large,” McClure said.

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