By Zack Sampson, News Staff
Huntington News: What is Student Government Association’s (SGA) role on campus?
Michael Sabo: SGA’s role is really being the primary advocacy body on campus. Every student, by default, as an undergraduate is a member of our association. There’s a difference between being a senator, being a board member – those are more active roles. We work in the areas of academics, student groups, student services, finance boards, student group money and other areas to work on the students’ behalf.
HN: How many active senators do you have?
MS: It’s really hard to say because a lot of people go inactive over the summer, but we’ve had great turnout at activities fairs, and we’re going to, for the first time ever, have info sessions (3-4 p.m. today, 440 Curry Student Center) for people that might be interested. But I think you could see at least 60 senators for the first semester, if not way more.
HN: Can freshmen be senators this semester?
MS: Sure, absolutely. When I got here three years ago, that’s the first thing I did, signed up for SGA. All you need to do is, if you want to represent your college, you come in, and we’re now going to be doing (sign-ups) online as well. You need 30 signatures from your college and you’re in.
HN: Is there a certain number of senators per college?
MS: Nope. Some ideas have been floated about having college or major caucuses. We haven’t really figured that out yet, but there’s no limit, there’s no deadline for applying either – you could wake up in two weeks, three weeks and decide that you want to be involved now.
HN: How does student government in college differ from student government in high school?
MS: I would say it’s not like a high school council where you have the six people and there’s an event chair. We have positions like that, but there’s a really great opportunity through the committee system and the board system for an everyday senator to get involved. When I first started, the first big vote I took was to create gender-neutral housing for the first time in International Village (INV), and I was a freshman, I was 18 years old, I had been here two months, but I was part of that.
HN: During your time at Northeastern, what have been SGA’s three biggest successes?
MS: I don’t think, if you talk to students, you can underestimate the 24/7 library hours. That’s something I really took pride in that I did here. I would say, in a large sense, all these renovations you’re seeing on campus with both buildings and vendors, including the food trucks, that was all us collaborating with dining services and everyone else. And we did it through student input. Even going into INV [you see that] gender-neutral housing could be another one in there. That’s something that I voted for and now we’re expanding it, and that’s great.
HN: In what direction do you want to take SGA in this year?
MS: I think my goal is to make SGA, this year, the most transparent as possible, as it’s really ever been, the most efficient.
HN: What are some of your specific priorities?
MS: Putting a student on the Board of Trustees is something that I am working on very closely with Northeastern President Joseph Aoun and the Board and [Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs] Philomena Mantella. My goal for that would be to, at the very least, have a student as part of next year. Number two is, I feel like I’m going to be doing something that’s been strongly overlooked. I’m going to be communicating with Peter Roby, athletics director, as well as people in student affairs to try to rework how club sports and intramurals are funded.
HN: If you had one word to describe your presidency, what would it be?
MS: Oddly enough, I would say consensus. And the reason I say that is because I think that’s totally been lacking the past few years. I think we’ve had leadership in previous years, that, it’s been unilateral in nature, and I’ve made clear that’s not how I manage.
HN: What do you think is Northeastern’s ideal future?
MS: I think we could absolutely be a top-20, top-25 [school]. We need to keep reinvesting, in our school and in our students, and that does mean, as controversial as this may sound, reinvesting here at home.
Students can learn more about joining SGA by checking out the table today at the activities fair or by going to www.sga.neu.edu. SGA meetings are at 7 p.m. Mondays in 333 Curry Student Center.
