Junior Shane Knopp won the Student Government Association (SGA) Presidential election and will officially be Colgate’s SGA President for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Junior Parna Shakouri will be the Vice President. The pair were formally sworn in on Apr. 14 at the annual banquet, the State of the ‘Gate.

“During the event, the SGA Leadership members gave reports of the organization’s achievements this year to members of SGA and the Colgate administration. Parna and I also had the chance to speak at the banquet and share about our goals for the coming year,” Knopp said. 

Knopp is excited to implement planned initiatives to encourage more students to get involved with the student government. 

“I’m excited to implement new outreach strategies to remind the student body that SGA is for students, by students. I want to make sure all members of the SGA are involved with in-person outreach but especially the members of leadership,” Knopp said. “My goal is to reach as many students as possible. My first major outreach initiative will be a monthly dinner series open to all student members in partnership with other organizations/departments such as the ALANA Cultural Center. Parna and I are also planning on attending general meetings for as many clubs as possible in the first few weeks of the fall semester to network and encourage people to get involved with SGA.”

Shakouri shares Knopp’s outreach goal and says it is her number one priority as Vice President.

“People in every corner of this campus should feel connected to SGA and trust that all of our members are vocal advocates for their rights and concerns. The student body needs to realize the influence and impact of the Student Government Association and the important role it plays in our Colgate experience,” Shakouri said.

Shakouri is also planning on continuing current programs in the coming year. 

“I look forward to continuing some of the major programs and events from this year including the Connect 2 Colgate program, SGA Days of Service, and the State of the Gate. More so, I look forward to connecting with as many individuals and communities across campus and being a good representative of the student body,” Shakouri said. 

Knopp and Shakouri both served in SGA leadership positions during the 2021-2022 school year and already have an established working relationship due to their collaboration on SGA initiatives.

“In this time we’ve become good friends and during the campaigning period, we realized we have a lot of similar visions for SGA next year. Since we were elected, we’ve started having regular meetings where we bring our individual ideas in preparing for the beginning of our term at the end of the semester,” Knopp said.

Shakouri believes she and Knopp will have a productive working relationship. 

“Shane and I have our unique leadership styles and perspectives, a lot of similar values, and a great friendship. We both believe in the incredible impact SGA can have on student experiences and want to increase our involvement with the rest of the campus community through outreach and collaboration. We have discussed a few major initiatives including new cabinet positions to address issues of unity and representation, including Greek Life Liaison and LGBTQ+ Student Life Coordinator,” Shakouri said.  

Sophomore Lucy Gilpin hopes the new leadership will forge a better Colgate community. 

“I wish there was higher community involvement amongst all students at Colgate. It seems like Colgate is a sophomore-up institution and freshmen are excluded from the social experience,” Gilpin said. “I felt that way [my first] year but thought it was just because of COVID, but this year, I see that it’s just how it is at Colgate.”

Sophomore Emma Attar collaborates frequently with Knopp, as they are both members of the Students’ Activities Association.  

“Because I work with him, I know that he is involved in a lot of different things on campus and seems to understand a lot of different groups. I am excited to see how he uses his past involvement to bridge some of the gaps between groups on campus. In general, it does not feel like there is as much school pride as I expected coming to a D1 school. I wish there was more school spirit and involvement at different sporting events. I wish Colgate was more of the close-knit community I heard about and was excited for,” Attar said. 

With Knopp and Shakouri putting community outreach at the top of their priorities, these students’ sentiments will likely be honored, according to Knopp.

“So far, we have had great progress,” Knopp said, “and I feel confident we are going to have a busy but productive time working with the administration this summer before our return to campus.”