By Madeline Riccardi, Editor-in-Chief

The La Roche Student Government Association (SGA) planned for their upcoming campus project, while working on final plans as the spring semester ends.

The Board has been discussing an SGA project of updating the campus gazebo and installing a Redhawk statue since early last semester. When SGA President Natasha Florence discussed the idea with the Board in the fall, she thought on her time at La Roche. “I was on SGA last year and something that we never really did was redoing the Gazebo. It is an eyesore,” Florence said, “and it sort of out of place down there.”

SGA’s Director of Design and Technology Jason Saldano Jr. is heading the SGA Project Committee. Midway through the semester, the Committee had yet to gain full approval for their project. The Project is now underway, and the Committee said they are excited about the updates to campus.

“We are aware that the gazebo might not be done in a day, realistically speaking. Everything is in motion,” Saldano said.

David Day, SGA Sponsor and Director of Student Development, said that the Project date will be a day for La Roche students to remember. He proposed that Earth Day should be incorporated into the Project based around campus-wide student involvement outside. “Earth Day is a day where we are trying to get people to do on-campus service projects. All things are welcome,” Day said.  

Florence agreed with Day, saying that she thinks Earth Day is a great day for the Project. “Earth Day would make the most sense. If students can come out and plant a flower, they can do that,” Florence said.

According to Day, SGA has divided the Project into two days. The first day consists of reconstructing the campus gazebo. The second day is meant to involve all students on campus through the demonstration of the statue building.

“That is the day,” Day said, “that Joe King is coming to carve the Redhawk statue out of a log. There’s going to be activities like cornhole, horseshoes, and a cookout that day. We only want people to do what they can do.”

The SGA members said they are eager for the second day of Project, and how they can involve the whole campus.

SGA’s Director of Resident Affairs Reagan Roblaski said, “It might be a good day to do service projects and have club meetings.”

The SGA Project is not the only thing that the Board is focused on. They have been discussing a Black Lives Matter mural on campus since the fall semester. This mural is in no way associated with the Black Lives Matter Organization.

Ammiel Francis, SGA’s Executive Vice President, has been meeting with Sister Candace Introcaso since the beginning of the semester about the mural.

“Being able to figure out a concept is actually helping us compared to before. We are making a lot of leeway with this project and I am really excited,” Francis said.

SGA’s Judicial Vice President and Secretary Gracie Kon had an idea to include people from across the world from different cultures on the mural.

Kon said, “We want to make sure we have a range of different people from different cultures, ethnicities, disabilities, but without having faces attached with the face. Not only can you put your face on it, but it is also easier graphic design wise to do it this way.”

The Mural Committee spent months coming up with ideas; they will not have the mural officially in the works until the summer semester at the earliest.

“We won’t be able to make a deadline before the end of the semester,” Francis said. “Things are in motion so we can move on with this in the summer and in the fall. It takes time, so it is okay.”

Florence said she was optimistic that the Board is only completing one of the final projects of her SGA Presidency. “If anything, the project is getting done before the end of the school year. I am really proud of that,” Florence said.

With the end of her SGA Presidency approaching, Florence also said she was hopeful for the future of La Roche’s SGA.

Election Packets were available to La Roche students during the spring semester. They could apply during March and early April of the current semester.

Florence said, “We got nine election packets. We are missing a population of freshmen who have not really been active on campus this year.”

Jeffery Dailey, SGA Sponsor and Assistant Director of Student Development said this was an improvement from last year. “We had five last year, so we are doubling,” Dailey said.

La Roche students elected new SGA members for the 2021-2022 academic year. The new members include:

• SGA President, Ammiel Francis and SGA Executive Vice-President, Tashai Thompson
• SGA Vice President of Academic Affairs, Richard Nziza
• SGA Secretary, Jason Saldano Jr.
• SGA Public Relations Representative, Pilar Lojacono
• SGA Director of Clubs and Organizations, Eden Jhang, SGA Director of Resident Affairs, Reagan Roblaski, SGA Director of Student Activities, Ashley Krivansky, and SGA Director of Green Initiatives, Gracyn Holcombe

Individual SGA members also worked toward their own goals for the final months of the academic year:

• Richard Nziza, SGA’s Director of Multicultural and International Affairs geared up for the GLOBE Fashion Show. La Roche cancelled the Show last year due to its late place in the spring semester. “Planning for the GLOBE Fashion Show is going really well. We have huge support. I am excited to see how it goes and I am thankful for everyone’s support,” Nziza said.
• SGA’s Director of Commuter Affairs Gracyn Holcombe finalized the commuter website that is up and running for current commuter students. “We got everything set up,” Holcombe said. “Right now, it is live with all of my fixes and the information that the commuters need.”
• Riley Polacek, SGA’s Academic Vice President, met with Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Howard Ishiyama about the upcoming May graduation. Polacek said, “They are dividing graduation into major groups or they were talking about sending out an email to see how students felt about a whole graduation at North Allegheny High School.”
• SGA’s Director of Athletics and Intramurals Jared Woods discussed the possibility of intramurals on campus. “There is really nothing we can do right now because we do not want to promote getting together now. It is still not safe,” Woods said.