Jonathan Eaton Elected SGA President for the 2023-2024 Academic Year

Jonathan Eaton Elected SGA President for the 2023-2024 Academic Year

Recently, Colgate University’s Student Government Association (SGA) announced the winner of the 2023-2024 Presidential election. The SGA election commissioners, sophomore Ekaterina Balsan and first-year Jack Tinker, sent an email to the Colgate student body on Tuesday, April 11 announcing junior Jonathan Eaton as the president for the upcoming academic year.

The election period ran from April 5 through April 7, according to an email sent to the student body from Balsan and Tinker on April 5 following a “Meet the Candidates” Town Hall on Wednesday, March 29 that was held on Zoom. Eaton was sure to highlight the voices of all Colgate students, not just those in leadership positions.

“I’m excited to see change on this campus. But, I want everyone to know that this is not a one-man show. I do not want this upcoming year nor my administration to be defined by my wants or my vision for Colgate. Instead, I want each and every one of you to talk about your wants and bring forward ideas on how to better our campus and our community. That way, we’ll usher in change that you want to see – and we’ll usher it in together,” Eaton explained.

Eaton ran unopposed on a platform highlighting bureaucratic accountability, accessibility and equity, community engagement, sustainability and student success, according to his candidate page on the SGA website. Eaton plans to hold monthly “State of the Gate” meetings, create a donation-driven “Executive Closet” for students looking to borrow professional clothing for interviews, and introduce a Major Exploration Day, among other initiatives that emphasize community and student support.

Eaton commented on his reasoning behind wanting to be the next SGA president.

“I ran for SGA President because I believed – and continue to believe – that Colgate shouldn’t just be where we get our degree from; it should be our home,” Eaton said. “Each student, regardless of their background, should see Colgate as an opportunity to discover who they are and who they want to be, knowing, through it all, that they’re supported by their friends, family, faculty, and a larger community.”

While elections for Senate and Cabinet members will take place at the beginning of next school year, elections for leadership and election commissioner positions have been conducted as well, according to an email from Balsan and Tinker on Thursday, April 20. Open leadership positions included the Liason to Student Organizations, Treasurer and Parliamentarian. The winners of these positions have not yet been formally announced to the student body.