“We are stronger together” | New VCU SGA debuts this fall

A newly reorganized Student Government Association is debuting this semester in an attempt to streamline the organization’s work.

This comes as an effort by the SGA to increase communication among the students and the university’s administration. Keith Zirkle, vice president of graduate and professional students, hopes this will increase the amount of resources the organization can provide to undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

“We are stronger together,” Zirkle said.

Zirkle, who is pursuing his doctorate in biostatistics at VCU, hopes that students will recognize the student government as a tool for their needs and concerns.

“There are a multitude of student advocacy issues students of any type can unite behind, and SGA is the platform for that sort of thing,” Zirkle said.

The biggest difference for SGA is that there is now one sitting president presiding over both campuses, two vice presidents and two separate senates — one for each campus — that convene throughout the semester.

Destinee’ Moragne, president, said the school year is off to a good start. SGA teamed up with the Student Media Center to create a video introducing the new governing body, handed out flyers throughout Welcome Week and tabled at the New Student Orientation.

This move to a one VCU SGA came at a time where students across both campuses voiced their concerns about student representation in university affairs.

Student organizations also voiced their grievances to the SGA with the event and funding protocols that made it difficult for newer organizations to grow.

However, Moragne hopes that by having a stronger, unified voice, students will have their concerns addressed.

“Our new slogan is ‘VCU SGA: Empowering the Students’ Voice’ and we hope to do exactly that,” Moragene said.

NEWS EDITOR

Hiba Ahmad
Hiba is a senior studying broadcast journalism and religious studies. In addition to writing for the CT, she is the campus editor-at-large for the Huffington Post, a reporter for VCU InSight and president of United Muslim Relief at VCU. This summer, Hiba interned with the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington, D.C. She previously interned with Voice for America and as a web content intern for VCU’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture.
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