Four Pillars Comprise SGA Leaders' Agenda
At the start of the academic year, new leaders take the reins of the undergraduate Student Government Association, looking to promote student voices amid Georgia Tech’s continuing growth.
President Shivani Virani, a fourth-year neuroscience major, and Vice President Julia Haley, a fourth-year public policy major, campaigned on a four-pillar platform to better connect SGA to the expanding student body. Developed from student feedback, the four pillars include:
- Transparency: SGA oversees the allocation of funds for student organizations. Virani and Haley intend to reshape internal and external communication strategies to provide more information on how decisions are made and ensure that resources reach as many organizations as possible.
- Culture: Creating a more engaging student experience at Georgia Tech is central to the leaders’ platform through improvements to the room reservation process for student organizations, expanding access to dining options, and initiating conversations with Athletics to enhance attendance at all sporting events.
- Community: Virani and Haley hope to connect more Tech students to the Atlanta community, especially first-year students or those without other means of transportation, proposing the addition of bus routes to help students explore locations around the city. Through trips to the state capitol and other events, the pair intends to emphasize civic engagement opportunities for students.
- Opportunity: Looking to help students maximize their post-graduation opportunities, the leaders want to increase exposure for career fairs on campus, connect more students with career center resources, and explore new methods for students to receive letters of recommendation from professors.
Virani and Haley have nearly 20 goals within the four pillars. Achieving the goals outlined in their plan will take cooperation with Institute leadership, and the SGA leaders have embraced the opportunity to sit at the table.
“We’ve met with every member of the administration, and they’ve been receptive to our ideas and are always looking for student input. It’s so nice to be in these meetings to share the student perspective on the issues facing our campus and having leaders seeking our opinion on how to approach them,” Haley said.
The Georgia natives acknowledge that while solving long-term issues on campus, like the availability of housing for a growing student population, will extend beyond their term, they hope to leave a legacy of fostering discussions and creating a welcoming environment.
“I want to leave a legacy of kindness and be able to look back knowing that I at least affected one person positively on this campus and that I met as many people as I could, built as many relationships as I could, and helped people that way,” Virani said.
Virani, who is also a member of the Georgia Tech women’s lacrosse club team, joined SGA in her first year at Georgia Tech through the FreShGA committee. She says that participating in activities and traditions instantly made her feel at home on campus.
“Your experience at Georgia Tech is what you make it. I feel like I’ve been embraced with open arms ever since I got to campus, and it’s amazing to meet so many people from different cultures and share experiences with them,” she said.
That sentiment was echoed by Haley, who enjoys sharing the unique student experience with prospective Yellow Jackets as a tour guide.
“Everyone here cares about something, and that creates a special campus community and a dynamic learning environment because of the diversity that exists within the student body,” she said.
Virani and Haley are renewing SGA’s efforts to initiate conversations with students from around campus and encouraging all students — regardless of year — to join one of the 25 SGA committees to share their opinions.
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Georgia Tech Undergraduate Student Government Association President Shivani Virani (left) and Vice President Julia Haley (right). Submitted Photo.