Matthew Haley is a neuroscience concentrator who hails from Rochester, N.Y., which he likes to call “Home of the Garbage Plate.”

During his time at Colgate, Haley has been heavily involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) and Greek Life. Haley has served as the President of Sigma Chi fraternity and he is currently the Vice President of SGA. He has also held positions as the Speaker of the Senate and as a class Senator.

When applying to colleges, Colgate stood out to Haley because of the university’s intimate bond between students and the various other members of the Colgate community.

“I chose Colgate because of the close relationships I had heard the students gained between each other, as well as with administrators and faculty,” Haley said. Haley expressed particular appreciation for his classes, Greek Life and the Student Government Association for facilitating these relationships. 

As Vice President of the SGA, Haley has worked to overhaul the Senate’s bylaws, helped to adjust Colgate’s points policy as well as improved upon the social hosting guidelines. He has also spearheaded the development of mid-semester review forms for professors as well as making online syllabi available to students prior to course registration (both of which are expected to be in place by next year).

Haley has taken advantage of the off-campus study opportunities at Colgate, participating in Colgate’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Group in Bethesda, Md. Haley went on the study group in the fall of his junior year and studied Parkinson’s disease under Dr. Mark Hallett.

Haley plans to attend the University of Rochester Medical School in the fall, but plans to spend time with fellow Colgate student and senior Cody Semrau backpacking through Europe this summer.

Haley has truly taken advantage of the wide variety of experiences available during his time at Colgate. He has found and cultivated many relationships throughout the Colgate community through his challenging coursework, his commitment to serving the student body through student government and his involvement with Greek life.