The University of Indianapolis’ Student Government Association (SGA) released the newly elected President and Vice President on March 18 via email, with Johara El-Shahat and Avery Allen winning with 66.9% of the total votes.
El-Shahat, a UIndy junior social work major and current SGA Vice President, will become SGA President upon the graduation of the current senior SGA President, Jotan Johnson, this May. As a result, she said this will allow her and Allen, a UIndy junior psychology major, Black Student Association President and now SGA Vice President-elect, to work over the summer in preparation for the upcoming academic year.
El-Shahat said that due to her and Allen winning with about two-thirds of the student body vote, it shows that “students want individuals who are honest, know exactly what’s happening on campus and how exactly they want to proceed with current issues…” On the contrary, 33.1% voted for Christopher Hammer and Jose Cheshier, according to the SGA email. El-Shahat said that although she and Allen received two-thirds of the vote, it is important to allow spaces for the opposing voters to voice their opinions and have discussions on campus issues as well.
“We want to make sure that we are…getting all perspectives because we are still going to be the president and vice president of those 33%,” El-Shahat said.
During El-Shahat and Allen’s campaign, they stated their three core values on social media: guidance, community and advocacy. These three pillars are built around promoting academic excellence, ensuring all student voices are heard and walking alongside students to allow them success in all facets of life, according to Allen.
Some goals for the upcoming candidacy, according to El-Shahat and Allen, are directing students who may feel unwelcome on campus into already established areas for them to thrive and meet community, and stabilizing Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) by improving guidance in communication gaps and RSO boards. According to Allen, he has heard from students that there has been “mishandling of information” as far as a lack of direction for students when it comes to joining and staying involved with RSOs.
“I’m currently working on trying to figure out some sort of way that when students come back to campus next semester, they know exactly what they need to do with their RSO, so they can hit the ground running when it comes to the fresh batch of freshmen coming in,” El-Shahat said.
Both El-Shahat and Avery acknowledged that they can only do their best to encourage students to get involved in the campus community and to succeed in the classroom because it is ultimately up to them. However, they said they are going to do their best to create spaces on campus for students to find that drive within themselves to find their people and to do well in their classes.
When it comes to academic success in particular, El-Shahat noted it is important to recognize all of the external factors that contribute to a student’s success. She said aside from students getting their school work done, they are also family members, employees, student athletes and caregivers.
“Academic excellence isn’t always going to be at the fault of the student,” El-Shahat said. “I think it’s realistic to be thinking about that when you are looking at the full spectrum of the student, looking at all the systems that are at play. I think in general, it’s looking at what is combating that [academic success].”
Allen said he and El-Shahat want to highlight and promote all of the academic spaces on campus, such as RSO study tables and tutoring spots like the Writing Lab and math tutors, “because at the end of the day, students are paying for those resources, should know they are there and should be using them if they need them,” Allen said.
To remain accountable, Allen and El-Shahat said they will continue to make use of town hall meetings and may continue to use the grievance forms and create a Google form for students to voice their questions and concerns.
“We are 100% committed to serving you guys,” Allen said. “Serving students is a passion of ours, and we are not just doing this just to do it… We’re going to try to excel at it, and we do need the students’ help to do that. Go to all of our events, keep interacting with SGA, and if you see us, say something.”
