SGA president: group is “starting everything new” this year

MVNU’s Student Government Association is starting the year off with a lot of energy and new ideas.

With a new director, new president and only one returning member, SGA is looking at “starting everything new,” Student Body President Brandon Hull said.

Hull and the rest of SGA will work with Rochel Furniss, the new director of Student Life, in accomplishing this year’s goals.

While this is Furniss’s 10th year on campus, it will be her first year working so closely with students. Furniss, a 2005 MVNU grad, formerly worked as an administrative assistant in University Relations. Before that, she worked in the Campus Ministries office.

Now, as the director of Student Life, she will walk alongside SGA and help them develop strategies and skills to accomplish their goals. She also will bridge the gap between administration and students.

Furniss replaced Travis Keller, who left the position last year to become the University’s director of Alumni Relations. Hull said Furniss is a great fit for the job.

“Rochel has a servant’s heart, 100 percent. That’s why I think she’s good for this position,” he said. Hull also mentioned that Furniss is “very organized, well connected, and really likes intramurals.”

Furniss and the new SGA are full of ideas for this year. There will be a “learning curve” since there is only one returning member, Furniss said, but SGA wants to take full advantage of the opportunity to create positive change within the Student Government Association.

This year, SGA is particularly focused on building relationships, making connections and being approachable.

SGA members’ first step was to change the SGA Office in the cafeteria lobby to the SGA Lounge, which they hope will improve the dynamic between the student body and SGA. Both Hull and Furniss said the goal of the name change is to be “intentionally inclusive.”

Furniss praised the new SGA team as diverse and open-minded and applauded SGA’s goal of creating a legacy of involvement for all groups on campus, “not just a select few.”

Hull said SGA’s job is to “find out what students want to do and make it happen” and to enhance the overall student experience.

He said he supports the vision chaplain Joe Noonen expressed for SGA: “If we have six people on campus that wanted to throw marshmallows in green buckets, then we should help them get marshmallows and green buckets.”

If you have any ideas for new events or suggestions for policy changes, stop by the SGA Lounge and talk to any member, or email SGA at StudentBodyPresident@mvnu.edu.