2021-2022 SGA Election Results
Marist College held its annual Student Government Association (SGA) election on April 21, and Tenzin Tsundu ‘22 was elected Student Body President. Tsundu will serve alongside newly elected Executive Vice President Caleb Davis ‘24 for the 2021-2022 school year.
“Our predecessors and faculty members inspired us with their work ethic, resilience and commitment to make Marist a better place,” Tsundu and Davis told the Circle. “We saw the projects they completed or were in the process of completing, and we believed we could make it better.”
Tsundu previously served as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Davis as the Freshman Class President. Together, they plan to focus on the crisis of health, communication and integration on campus. According to Tsundu and Davis, the best way to approach the issues on campus is through gathering students' voices and amplifying them through the student government.
“We have solved some of the challenges, such as Saturday classes, integration of first-year students, and others, through SGA, and we believed we could replicate our past success and exceed them,” Tsundu and Davis said.
Since Tsundu has experienced three years on the Marist campus, he has goals in mind for increasing the involvement and attention for SGA. Over the last year, Tsundu has seen the SGA presence on campus decline and students often don’t use the group as a resource to connect with the administration. Tsunsu wants to leave Marist next spring knowing that SGA served the students on campus and made a difference in their experience.
“Students are frequently confused about the process of communicating their problems, grievances and proposals to the administrators,” Tsundu said. “Therefore, my primary focus will be to reestablish SGA's campus presence by introducing a culture of excellence.”
Only a year into his time at Marist, Davis hopes to bring an innovative spirit to the Marist SGA. Davis wants to get away from traditional and what he considers “ineffective” methods used by many student governments and truly make a difference on campus.
“As Class President, I was committed to bringing in a diverse group of students, and I want to do the same for SGA,” Davis said. “I am a team-oriented person, and as Executive Vice President, I am committed to bringing my mentality of cooperation and support to the role. Most importantly, I will cultivate a culture of action and excellence within the Cabinet and the Student Government Office.”
Looking forward to next fall, both Tsundu and Davis are planning to create a culture of excellence on campus, introduce the vice president of student well-being and bridge the gap of communication between students and the administration.
“The vice president of Mental Health and Wellness will collaborate with Marist Health Services to make their resources accessible to students,” Tsundu and Davis said. “Most importantly, the vice president of Mental Health and Wellness will be in charge of planning and implementing mental health days.”
In addition to Tsundu and Davis, SGA also held elections for each class. The Class of 2022 elected Meghan Shea as President, Caroline O’Handley as Vice President and Jordan Levene as Historian. Sarah O’Keefe will serve as President for the Class of 2023, with Olivia Zykoff as Vice President, John Schutta as Secretary, Stella Capparelli as Treasurer and Cecilia Salupo as Historian. The Class of 2024 will see Martin Varona as their resident, Sophie Mayser as Historian and Tyler Street as Treasurer for their sophomore year.
“It is our mission to empower students to create change in the Marist College community by serving as a liaison between the student body and the administration,” reads SGA’s mission statement.
When asked what Marist students can do to help the SGA succeed next year, Tsundu and Davis said, “Students can help SGA thrive by being the best version of themselves, reaching their goals, and integrating the Marist values of community, commitment to service and excellence in education.”
Tenzin Tsundu ‘22 will serve as SGA president along with VP Caleb Davis ‘24 for the 2021-2022 school year. Illustration by Andrew Mark ‘22.