SGA members sworn in Monday Advertisement

After a drawn-out election process
for the Monroe Park Campus Student
Government Association, most of
next year’s new legislative and executive
branch members were sworn in
Monday.

The 2007-2008 student body president,
Jessica Lee, presented the State of the
Student Body Address at the meeting.

Lee expressed pride in many of the
accomplishments of the SGA. She cited
the body’s work with the administration
to begin to build a more environmentally
conscious campus, and its work
to institute less-expensive meal plans
and less-expensive, more-convenient
academic services.

Lee said improvements still need
to be made, and many of the SGA’s
accomplishments have treated the
symptoms of the problems – not the
causes – facing the student body.

“VCU is too young for its student
body,” Lee said. “Our population
growth hasn’t been matched by the
resources we need.”

Lee asked the new SGA line-up to be
a more-effective voice for the student
body by opening itself up and communicating
what the SGA is doing more
effectively with both the administration
and the students.

“Please, keep students first,” Lee
said. “That’s why we’re here. People
have put you in this office to use your
position to represent them . Future
generations are going to look back at
this as a turning point.”

Controversy trailed the election,
which ended March 27. An error in the
online ballot resulted in some write-in
votes not being counted. Because many
of the candidates were running write-in
campaigns, there were complaints made
about the error.

To reach a compromise, the first
17 seats were awarded to those whose
names had appeared on the ballot and
who had received the most votes.

Then, nearly a month after the election,
a run-off election was held that
determined the winners of the remaining
eight senate seats and gave the write-in
candidates a chance for their supporters’
votes to be counted.

Another controversy arose when
Joshua Ronk, one of the candidates
on the losing executive ticket, filed a
grievance against Jibran Muhammad,
the new SGA president.

Ronk said people representing the
Muhammad campaign had participated
in tactics that constituted voter
intimidation.

The judicial branch ruled in favor
of Muhammad, because no eyewitnesses
could place any member of the
Muhammad ticket at the scene of the
incidents.

Adam Sowder, the newly elected
SGA vice president, was not present
to be sworn in at the meeting, because
he was sick. Solle Taghavi, the newly
elected executive director for university
relations, was sworn in shortly after
Muhammad.

Soon after, Muhammad delivered a
speech that focused on the change he said
could be achieved through teamwork.

“We have every reason to feel strong
and optimistic,” Muhammad said.
“We begin with the largest mandate
for positive change in history. Those
who see that mandate as a product of
intimidation underestimate their fellow
students.”

Muhammad said he wants next year
to be marked by communication and
cooperation among SGA members.

“When we differ, come to me, or I
will come to you so we can discuss our
differences and find better answers and
become better friends,” Muhammad
said.

“For me, VCU is more than a place.
VCU is a humanitarian idea. As we
develop and shape ourselves, we can
shape Virginia and we can change the
world.”