Student Government Association (SGA) had its first meeting of the year on Jan. 10, where elected candidates took over their new role. Sarah Roberts is now officially serving as SGA president, with Ilianna Murphy as vice president. 

“Our goal is to get student opinions and represent them well and talk about issues that we’re concerned about,” Murphy said. 

SGA is an organization of elected student representatives who allocate resources and advocate and represent the student body through facilitated communication between administrators and students. 

“When I first joined SGA, the person I looked up to the most was Frank Cruz, the 2022 president,” Roberts said. “He was a very powerful leader and a vocal advocate for student interests.” 

Roberts, a junior majoring in Religious Studies and Psychology, was previously an SGA senator. She had an initial interest in being involved because of her high school student government experience.

Roberts said, “I want to continue the great leadership that came before me and contribute to the campus community.”

Roberts is also an undergrad assistant for the Religious Life Community (RLC) as an Interfaith Engagement Intern, Simpson Colloquial (SC) Leader, Wesley Service Scholars small group leader and is a part of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. 

“Working and seeing Sarah grow not just as a young advocate but also as an outgoing individual who will do anything to help those in need makes me know that the students are in great hands,” former Student Body President Frank Cruz said.

Murphy, a political science and social justice studies major, was previously a senator last year and is currently an RLC interfaith engagement intern and Culver Fellow. 

“I just really like politics and being involved. This is a good way to get involved at an on-campus level,” Murphy said.

Roberts and Murphy have started the semester with a focus on organization and setup and have taken the initiative to get Facebook live up and running. 

“I believe if you don’t have a good organizational process, it is going to make it really hard in the future,” Roberts said. “I think it’s just the building blocks, but is really, really crucial to have.” 

Roberts and Murphy emphasized the importance of communication and transparency, their goal being to create an environment where students feel empowered to voice their opinions and actively participate in the decision-making processes.

Murphy said, “I want to make a difference here at Simpson College. I think, with a partnership between me and Sarah, we can really do that.”

Their focus is on capital improvement projects around campus. SGA funded the patio at Dunn and was the start of this focus. 

“Feel free to reach out to Ilianna or me if you have any questions, comments or something that you want to bring up,” Roberts said. “You know, this is really your government.”

SGA meetings are open for anyone to attend on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Senate Meeting Room or via Facebook live.