By Julia Sarcinelli
Juniors Erin Dempsey and Bridget Green were recently sworn in as SGA vice president and secretary, respectively, following the resignations of Pat O’Connor and Dayna Marchant.
According to SGA President Ezequiel De Leon, Marchant resigned from her secretary position when the semester began and O’Connor resigned from his position as vice president about two weeks later.
Both Dempsey and Green were nominated for their positions by De Leon. The SGA senators and e-Board members then voted them in.
Marchant said she resigned because she became busy playing softball and as an intern for MetroWest Economic Research Center (MERC). She joined as a senator first semester her freshman year, and was elected as secretary her sophomore year.
“I got everything settled right after break for SGA and then I resigned because I didn’t want to leave them out to dry or anything like that,” she said. “I didn’t want to have to drop it because I love SGA, but I was so busy.”
Green was selected as Marchant’s replacement. She said she has been a senator for SGA for the past three years.
“I have always been a senator because I am also involved in various things around campus,” she said.
However, Green said she is “very grateful” to be the new SGA secretary. “It is not the easiest position, but I was happy to step up and take on the challenge after being involved in SGA as only a senator in the past.”
She added she joined SGA with Marchant their freshman year and Marchant pushed her to be an active member. “Dayna is a full-time student like most of us on SGA, so she made the best decision for herself and her academics by relieving herself of the position.”
Dempsey, who replaced O’Connor, said she joined SGA in September 2016 as a senator and she is “very excited” about her new position as vice president.
She said she wants “to help the clubs and organizations on campus run as effectively as possible so they may fulfill their respective missions.”
The SGA budget meeting was held one week after Dempsey assumed her new role.
She said, “It was difficult going into the meeting having just been sworn in that previous Tuesday. I was nervous, but I knew I had the support of my fellow e-Board members and senators.”
She said O’Connor left due to academic commitments.
“Although we on SGA are all leaders on campus, we are students first, and I believe he made the best decision because he prioritized his academics. I support his choice and appreciate the time that he was able to serve as a great VP for SGA,” Dempsey said.
When contacted, O’Connor declined to comment.
De Leon said the vice president acts as a liaison with the clubs and organizations.
He said O’Connor had to leave because of “time commitments. We were sad to see him leave, but we definitely understood.”
De Leon said Dempsey already has a connection with SILD and clubs as an intern in the o[ce. “She already has a lot of face time and a lot of exposure with the club officers. ... It was really wonderful that she was able to step up.”
De Leon said the secretary organizes minutes, meetings and agendas along and holds senators accountable for their office hours. Additionally, the administrative part of the job gives the person “a lot of flexibility” to support SGA and lead initiatives.
“Dayna did wonderful in this job,” he said, adding she took the lead on various projects and events, and they were sad to see her leave.
He said Green “has already gone above and beyond her expectations of just those administrative roles and into that supportive role.”