MCV-SGA president seeks to unify different majors

For nearly a year, Gaurav Agarwal, a senior dentistry student, has led the Student Government Association on the VCU Medical Center Campus.

“I like to be involved and serve the student body – the best way to do so was in a leadership role,” said Agarwal, the former MCV-SGA treasurer and now president, explaining his reason for seeking the presidential position. “My first goal is to have more interaction among the different schools.”

Agarwal said he would like to see the five schools on the medical campus – allied health, dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy – share in a more interdisciplinary relationship. If this were possible, he said the student government could address many issues with the support of students and faculty from each school.

During his presidency, he said, the MCV-SGA has dealt with such matters as parking and university recognition, while calling these issues to the attention of VCU’s administration. These issues, Agarwal said, will be addressed in the Medical Center Campus plans for the next three to five years.

A member of the Virginia Dental Association, Agarwal said he wants to become a pediatric dentist, then teach at an educational institution. He graduates in May along with other MCV-SGA officers including Ryan Foley.

Foley, vice president of student life and secretary of the organization, said that this year’s group has improved the student group.

“For the longest time very little change was happening with our organization,” Foley said. “With this year’s board, a lot of improvements have been made.”

For instance, the 22-year-old nursing student said the medical center’s administrators are more open-minded to the student government’s ideas and goals.

“No one is stopping us,” he said. “It’s like a snowball effect – we’re rolling now.”

Geoffrey Young, associate dean for student affairs on VCU’s Medical Center Campus and the group’s faculty adviser since August 2004, said he also sees the group expanding in the future and was very impressed with the MCV-SGA.

“I (am) impressed with their level of professionalism and commitment to serving the MCV campus . . . (and) preparing events,” Young said, explaining that some of this year’s events were new since the previous years. “I see the (group) increasing the level of service they provide to the student body.”

Young said he also sees the MCV-SGA becoming a more recognized resource for all students on the Medical Center’s campus.

To better integrate the different schools, the student government sponsors charitable and social events, including the yearly MCV Campus Winter Formal, where some 1,300 guests attended the ball at the Jefferson Hotel.

“It was the largest event in SGA history,” Agarwal said. “It brought pride and joy to the SGA.”

The association will maintain its tradition of producing its annual free yearbook, that is included in the SGA’s budget.

With the help of the student government representatives and other executive officers, Agarwal helped serve students coffee and assisted with study breaks during last fall’s final exams. The group also sponsored a Halloween Ball that offered discounted tickets for those who brought canned foods.

Furthermore, SGA members conducted a toy drive, organized a pingpong tournament, sponsored teams in the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k Run and Walk event plus contributed in Richmond’s Habitat for Humanity house-building efforts.

“I want more recognition for SGA,” he said. “I want to make SGA more visible.”

In doing this, the 27-year-old is tackling his next goal of making the SGA more accessible to students.

“I want (students) to know that SGA is not just a figurehead,” he said. “I want them to know that SGA is there to help them and serve them.”