Photo courtesy of Sara Elgazzar
The Student Government Association serves as the “persistent voice of the student body” at Ramapo, according to the school’s website. While many students recognize the SGA for putting on fun social events for the college such as Oktoberfest, the SGA truly serves to advocate for students on campus and improve their experience at Ramapo.
Sara Elgazzar, a senior at Ramapo, is an active student leader who serves as the Vice President of SGA. She recently reflected upon her experience in the SGA, what it actually does on campus and how students can get involved and voice their opinions.
Elgazzar joined the SGA as a Senator at Large during her junior year. She saw joining the organization as a way to make a difference at Ramapo and develop her responsibility on campus.
“I saw it as the perfect chance to not only expand my leadership on campus, but also become a part of something bigger that really allows me the opportunity to help and give back to the Ramapo community that has given so much to me,” she said.
After a year in the Senator at Large position, Elgazzar moved on to a higher role when she was elected Vice President, and with this role came new responsibilities. Along with many new tasks, she became responsible for attending bi-weekly meetings with President Mercer as well as the SGA Advisors to inform the college’s administration of SGA’s ideas. In addition, Elgazzar found herself in charge of the Constitution Review Committee.
The Constitution Review Committee assists students in the process of creating new clubs on campus. Ramapo College allows students to create their own clubs simply by finding ten members, and advisors, and creating a club Constitution.
Elgazzar’s committee is responsible for helping students go through the initial steps of the process through filling out forms and creating the Constitution. The club will then meet to report to the Constitution Review Committee and eventually the SGA Senate at an SGA meeting. The SGA Senate then votes on whether or not to approve the club.
Through the efforts of Elgazzar and her committee, the Student Government has approved seven new clubs this semester and is still working with four more prospective clubs. If you are interested in creating a club, be sure to reach out to the Student Government Association to get the process started.
In her time in the Student Government Association, Elgazzar has seen the organization accomplish many great things. Not only has the SGA created new clubs and organizations, they have also signed many important pieces of legislation that aim to help the campus. One example of that is the new Emergency Student Relief Committee. This committee consists of individuals in the SGA as well as other professional staff members on campus who aim to help students in need.
“[The Committee] works to provide stability for students who are facing homelessness and food insecurity on campus. We recently learned that Ramapo will soon be opening a food pantry to help these students,” said Elgazzar.
Seeing the committee come to life and truly make a difference for students in need left Elgazzar very satisfied and proud as the SGA accomplished its goal of assisting students. Overall, Elgazzar has enjoyed her time with the SGA, and encourages students to get involved.
ewisnesk@ramapo.edu
