SGA Corner Oct. 2

By Brooke Schultz
News Editor
A statement was released from the SGA on Sunday, Oct. 2 announcing President Taylor Frey’s resignation and that former Vice President Audrey Utchen, senior, would be assuming his role.
The group called an open forum for that night to answer any questions students had about the organization moving forward.
“We know there’s been a lot of concerns the last couple weeks and we just want to have this open session to address any questions you have because we want to be transparent moving forward as an SGA ready to continue solving the issues you have,” Utchen said.
Regarding questions about Frey’s resignation, Utchen said that the decision was made for “personal reasons.”
“I feel like I have done everything I can to serve the students in this role, and it is time I focus on living a happy, productive, balanced life,” Frey said in an email to the executive board. “I do not think maintaining my position will serve our students further. The focus should not be on me or any one of us. It should be how we make the SGA better for students as a whole.”
The executive board echoed these sentiments during the open forum.
Sophomore Benjamin Fizer said the organization would be going back to their roots as an SGA and that would manifest by “crafting resolutions and submitting a platform.” The last platform submitted by SGA was from 2004-2005. “It’s going to be all of us working together and we kind of go forward with that, with all concerns students have pretty much this entire year. At the end of the year, we’ll submit that platform. [It will] formally give the school a platform of what we would like to have done around campus,” he said.
The organization has goals to focus more on the desires of campus and becoming more of a unified front to accomplish goals. The board also looks to engage more students in SGA in the future after the rocky start to the semester.
At the first meeting, Director of Student Services and Campus Properties Pat Elliott, senior, said it usually involves discussing concerns for the upcoming school year. “But what are we talking about? We’re talking about the money; we’re talking about pay. So am I surprised people didn’t come back? No. It looks so bad. None of us were excited about it. There was clear discontent for our leader,” he said.
“If we want to make these changes, we need the whole school to know what’s going on. Talking in Hodson, talking in classes, talking to professors, getting the word out. It’s up to the student body, I can’t reiterate this enough,” Parliamentarian Elisabeth Engle, senior, said.
In the future, Utchen said she wants the SGA to be more transparent and available to the student body. For instance, they plan on keeping the door open so students know they are welcome to bring forth concerns.
“Moving forward together is our plan and is our goal, and hopefully, together, as an executive board, we’re going to be able to make that happen,” Utchen said. “If it kills me, we’re going to get SGA hopefully back into a good light by the end of this term.”
The position for vice president is currently open. Utchen is looking for possible candidates and will be accepting suggestions via email at autchen2@washcoll.edu. The VP will be selected by the president and approved by the senate. Utchen said that they hope to have the position filled by Oct. 11.

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