SGC elections for officer positions at STLCC-Meramec held during last meeting
By: Andrea Royals
– News Editor –
Elections for students nominated to serve as officers during the fall semester on the Student Governance Council (SGC) at STLCC-Meramec were held Tuesday, May 4 during the last meeting of the academic school year.
Kristen Huyett was elected to serve as student body president.
Huyett, president of the Global Justice Club, has attended Meramec since the spring semester of 2008. Huyett regularly attends SGC meetings and said she is qualified to take on the role. Huyett said she has been an active member of the Meramec community, contributing to causes such as the Transit Alliance that helped last month to pass Proposition A.
“At the end of the day, I’m part of SGC because I love it,” Huyett said. “I love serving in this capacity. It’s just a part of who I am.”
Huyett met opposition from Abdul Kariem Matteuzzi who served as SGC representative at large this past semester. Matteuzzi said that he was qualified for the position of student body president because he is an Eagle Scout and president of the Outdoors Club.
Safia Madini will hand the vice president seat to Emily Spacaj, representative of the Knitting Club and SGC secretary. This spring semester marks Spacaj’s first at Meramec.
“Now that I have had a semester serving as secretary and being with all these wonderful people and seeing all the things that they can do, I really think I can add to the executive board,” Spacaj said.
Spacaj met opposition from Lenny Bolton, president of the Architecture Club, and Wade McGillis, an SGC representative at large and member of the U.S. Marines.
McGillis was elected to serve as secretary for the next term. McGillis said he originally declined his SGC nomination because he was told he may be called to military appointment, but was later informed he would not be selected.
“I always put my morals above my ambitions,” McGillis said. “I’m very organized and take all my duties seriously.”
Michael Roman has been elected to serve as SGC public relations officer. Roman, who did not receive opposition for the public relations office, has served the past semester as student body president.
Roman said that his time on SGC has been a really good experience. “I was really glad to affect people’s lives positively,” Roman said.
Since Roman took the office of student body president, he said he has provided the infrastructure that makes the transition of elected members into new offices easier.
“I think we’ve left it better than we found it,” Roman said. “I’m really proud of the fact that we’ve gotten people more involved.”
Huyett said she is impressed with the progress that SGC has made since she first became an active member in 2008.
Huyett said the council has stepped into being an advocate for students on matters concerning child care services and the renewal of Stephen Petersen, Ed.D., as vice president of Student Affairs at Meramec, and said that SGC will continue to deal with these issues as they come.
“It’s all contingent upon the board of trustees right now, so we can continue to voice our concerns at (board) meetings, but by submitting the petition [to reinstate Petersen], we’re going to have to wait a while and see what next happens.”
Although Roman said he agrees that certain issues rely on the board, he said SGC will continue to be an advocate for students like it has been this semester. “I’m really positive about next year,” Roman said. “Rather than a new start it will be a continuation.”
