Northern Essex’s Student Government Association (SGA) needs new members for this semester, with several open positions that need applicants before elections at the end of the month.
SGA is a student-run forum dedicated to listening to student concerns, raising discussions with senior administrators, and reviewing budget requests from NECC clubs and organizations.
Last Thursday, SGA voted and approved a request from the Radiologic Technology Club to provide additional funding to help graduating students prepare for upcoming board exams, according to SGA’s Facebook page.
“We’re here for the school, so if there’s something that we can do to help another club, we have the funding and we have to spend it, so if we can spend it a good way by helping another club, we will do it,” said Johanna Hernandez, current interim President for SGA.
COVID-19 has made planning in-person events more challenging. Since the start of the Pandemic, most clubs have been hosting their meetings online via Zoom.
“I’m not seeing as many students involved, but we are seeing different students involved, specifically at events, because, maybe before they weren’t able to,” said Stephanie Haskell, coordinator of student activities.
With fewer people on campus than in the past, reaching out to NECC students has presented difficulties coordinating extracurriculars.
“I feel like it’s a different type of pandemic fatigue now,” said Haskell. “Some of us are starting to transition back in person and that’s like a whole nother thing after we were just stuck by ourselves in our house for two years.”
One of the biggest challenges can be simply getting the word out, with weekly emails, blackboard announcements, and bulletin board postings not being nearly as effective as they were in previous semesters.
“A lot of time we can connect on social media, honestly, communicating to students is the hardest part.” said Haskell
Last December, SGA lost its president, treasurer, and marketing chair when each member graduated. With the secretary position already vacant, this left four open positions.
Vice president of the Lawrence campus, Johanna Hernandez, was voted interim president after former president, Iseline Mendoza, graduated.
“I started caring for my classes, I started paying more attention, I did more homework, and I was like I cannot fall behind because I’m here and these people are supporting me to be better. So it was kind of motivational,” said Hernandez
However, joining a club isn’t always the best option for some students, with heavy course loads, part-time jobs, and children leaving no extra room for extracurriculars.
“The pros and cons of joining a club depends on a person’s schedule, and mine was already packed and joining a club doesn’t earn any extra credit so, it didn’t seem there was much for me to gain personally,” said former NECC student Ava Tavares.
If you are interested in joining a club, any student with six credits and good academic standing can apply for any position by Feb. 23. Voting will occur between Feb. 28 and March 2.
