The Student Government Association (SGA) had a very busy fall semester. From passing important legislation to representing students in College-wide discussions to hosting fun and informative events, the more than 75 members of the SGA worked hard to serve the student body.
We started the semester by hosting the annual Club Fair on Case Green. This fantastic event introduces our incredible 94 student-run clubs to the Skidmore community. Similarly, VP for Student Life Milo Flamenbaum ‘26 and I had the privilege of hosting the Club Showcase, where I was amazed by the extensive talent of our performance clubs. I am grateful for all of the effort that VP for Club Affairs Madelyn Besikof ‘26 contributed to ensure the success of these events.
At the beginning of the semester, VP for Engagement and Outreach David Aybar ‘26 and I worked diligently to introduce the SGA to new students and encouraged them to consider joining. We held several tabling sessions, visited classes, and connected with students in the Opportunity Program. This effort led to a very competitive fall election cycle, which allowed us to fill every elected seat in the organization. The SGA Senate and Executive Committee didn’t have a single vacancy this semester, a rare accomplishment we’ve worked hard to achieve.
Part of the reason for this success was internal changes within the SGA. Among other initiatives, I introduced a revised mentoring program, which paired new senators with members of the Executive Committee. Eleven new senators participated in this program, allowing them to create new social and professional connections and better understand the SGA.
Once the semester got underway, I was pleased to attend the Board of Trustees meeting in October. I appreciated the opportunity to converse with the Trustees, answer their questions, and share my thoughts with them. The Trustees were eager to hear about the current status of student life at Skidmore and ways it can improve.
The SGA Senate had a very productive legislative session. We passed eleven new resolutions: five resolutions amended the charters of current clubs, two corrected errors in our governing documents, two established an SGA calendar for both semesters, one affirmed the College’s Diversity and Inclusion Statement, and one improved the game equipment in Case Center.
Resolution 35-06: Game Equipment Improvement Act, makes major progress on my primary initiative of improving and increasing social spaces for students. This resolution purchases two new industrial-grade pool tables to replace the current ones, a more durable ping pong table to replace the current one, and a strong foosball table to replace the air hockey table. Over the past year and a half, we have seen how much of an impact the introduction of game equipment has made on students. However, the current equipment was not durable enough to handle the high volume of student use. This new equipment will be available on the first day of the spring semester and will hopefully last for years to come. I am appreciative of Executive VP Tess Malloy ‘26, VPSL Flamenbaum, Sophomore Class President Paul Ziek ‘27, First-Year Senator Dylan Kostbar ‘28, and countless campus partners for their work on this project.
The SGA Senate also heard from many guests, including the SGA Judicial Board, Committee on Student Life Subcommittee on Athletics (CSLA), CSL Subcommittee on Sustainability (SuCo), and the Student Events Council. We also heard student concerns and opinions throughout the semester during our Open Forum. I encourage you to attend one of our meetings in the spring and share your thoughts during Open Forum.
On the financial side, the SGA Budget and Finance Committee carefully and efficiently reviewed fifteen club funding requests. The Committee is chaired by VP for Financial Affairs Bradley Kadets ‘27 and consists of twelve voting members, including two club representatives and two students who are not SGA senators.
Our two active subcommittees also completed very impressive work this semester. Chaired by Madeline Bace ‘26, the CSL Subcommittee on Sustainability (SuCo) began the planning and application process for the Green Grant, a competitive grant where any student can apply for funding for a sustainability-focused project on campus. Chair Bace also hosted a leadership summit, where she convened sustainability-focused students to share what they have been working on and increase collaboration.
The inaugural CSL Subcommittee on Athletics (CSLA) created a formal relationship between the SGA and the Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC). Improving the SGA’s relationship with student-athletes has been a long-time goal of previous SGA presidents and myself, and we are eager to continue this partnership into this new semester. Chaired by Avery Rogers ‘26, this group was able to bring athletic concerns to the larger SGA and College administration.
SGA members also advocated for students in College-wide committees. They served on fifteen of these committees this semester, covering a variety of topics.
VP for Academic Affairs Anna Barnes ‘26 worked diligently with EVP Malloy, College Librarian Marta Brunner, and the Committee on Educational Policy and Planning (CEPP) to find creative solutions to make course materials more affordable for students. VPAA Barnes also worked with the CEPP to finalize a classroom recording policy for students.
I had the privilege of co-chairing the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee Subcommittee on Student Affairs with Dean of Students and VP for Student Affairs Adrian Bautista. Dean Bautista and I worked closely with this group to collect feedback on what student affairs themes the College should focus on in its next strategic plan. We then combined this feedback with that from surveys, focus groups, the SGA Senate, a new ‘Deans and Donuts’ tabling event, and other sources to advise President Conner on what we believe the College’s strategic priorities should be.
I worked closely with the SEC Subcommittee on Falstaff’s Chair Alex Ciardullo and on- and off-campus partners on the major renovations to Falstaff’s. The building is expected to reopen in early February with significant improvements to the kitchen, green room, and audio/visual equipment. We are still planning the final stage of renovations, which will include a new entrance and an ADA-accessible, single-use, gender-neutral bathroom.
The SGA hosted several events throughout the semester. One of my favorites was an election panel hosted by VP for Institutional Diversity Samantha Majiedt ‘27 and the Committee on Institutional Diversity. The panel began with an introduction by Associate Professor of Political Science Ron Seyb and then panelists of different backgrounds and identities discussed how the election would impact them.
VPEO Aybar and the Committee for Engagement and Outreach hosted the first ‘SGA All-Star Games.’ This event featured student versus faculty games of soccer, dodgeball, and basketball. We will continue to host fun and exciting extracurricular events like this in the semesters to come. Hopefully, the students will win their next game after a difficult defeat by the faculty in basketball.
On the topic of events, the Student Events Council hosted nine events this semester. Led by SEC Chair Bailey Gerson, the events branch of the SGA hosted impressive large- and small-scale events. They brought Natasha Bedingfield and Towa Bird to campus for Big Show, shuttled students to the dance floor of the Saratoga Hilton for Junior Ring, and distributed four hundred plush animals for students to stuff during finals week.
We will begin the spring semester with four new interim VPs, until permanent VPs are selected in the Winter Elections. I am excited to welcome Interim Executive VP Shira Lobron ‘28, Interim VP for Academic Affairs Trevor Lai ‘25, Interim VP for Student Life Paul Ziek ‘27, and Interim VP for Engagement and Outreach Emma Ferrigno ‘27 to the Executive Committee.
Our major goals for next semester include continuing to improve social student spaces, coordinating the SGA Winter and Spring Elections, continuing our work on student outreach, reviewing club budgets for the 2025-26 academic year, simplifying the club creation and administration process, and completing the Falstaff’s renovation. If the work of the SGA sounds interesting to you, I would recommend running for a vacant seat in the Winter Elections.
I’d like to thank the incredible members of the SGA who have generously donated countless hours of their time to improving Skidmore. I’d also like to thank our phenomenal partners and advisors in the Office of Campus Life and Engagement. Specifically, I’m grateful for Director of Leadership Activities Zach Schwan, Associate Director of Leadership Activities Emily Poole, and SGA Accountant Kris Leggiero in the Office of Leadership Activities for their tireless work on behalf of the student body. Lastly, I’d like to thank Dean Bautista, President Conner, and the College administration for empowering student leadership and valuing student contributions to our community.
It has been an honor to lead this incredible organization throughout the past semester. I’m eager to get back to work and see what we can accomplish in the spring.
Questions and concerns can be directed to SGA President Josh Maxwell at SGA_Prez@skidmore.edu.