New SGA president talks 2017-18 initiatives

Student Government Association (SGA) President Julianna Stanley, a junior mass communications major from Williamsburg, is optimistic and excited for the 2017-18 academic year.

With a full agenda that includes ambitious community service, civic engagement, advocacy, school spirit and campus safety initiatives, Stanley and her SGA team are ready to get to work.

This fall, the SGA plans to conduct a Safety Walk across campus and at several off-campus locations with the support of RU and Radford City administrators. Another walk will follow in the spring. Members will also contribute to President Brian O. Hemphill’s annual Radford Gives Back canned food drive. Last year’s effort resulted in more than 14,000 items collected for area food pantries.

To encourage civic engagement, Stanley said the SGA will once again partner with Virginia21 to help students register to vote.

“There is a governor’s race in Virginia this year,” Stanley said. “We want to express the importance of being politically involved and engaged even though it’s not a nationwide presidential race.”

Advocacy is integral to SGA’s mission, and as in years’ past, the organization will support sexual assault awareness campaigns. They will continue partnerships with the Women’s Studies program and Substance Abuse and Violence Education Support (SAVES) office, in addition to strengthening their ties with the university’s counseling services, which recently transitioned to an in-house counseling division.

Next spring, Stanley said she hopes to continue a new tradition that was implemented during the spring 2017 semester – Unityfest. The SGA will collaborate with Student Representative to the Board of Visitors Jessica Wollmann to organize the community-wide festival that features live entertainment, food and games for all ages.

To unite the campus community, Stanley hopes to strengthen bonds between the SGA and the university’s more than 270 clubs and organizations.

“We want to align more clubs and organizations with our initiatives so we can be more of a unit when it comes to advocating for our students,” she explained.

She also aims to increase SGA’s visibility on campus by ramping up the organization’s social media efforts.

“We want students to know that they can come to us with their questions and concerns,” Stanley said. “We’re always here to help and we want to get students to the places they want to be, whether it’s joining a new club, utilizing campus resources or becoming a member of SGA.”

Other initiatives highlighted by Stanley include:

• Promoting campus diversity and supporting student retention efforts
• Making feminine hygiene products more available and easier to access in campus buildings
• Coordinating volunteer opportunities at Radford-Fairlawn Daily Bread, a food service program for those in need
• Organizing Highlander Pride events
• Implementing exam study halls

About Julianna Stanley

Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia

Major: mass communications with a concentration in public relations; minor in business administration

Years involved in SGA: three, with past roles as senator-at-large and vice president

Why SGA?: “SGA is important because we can support the students who feel like their opinions don’t matter. We can make sure that they’re getting all the support they need to be successful and we can help them adjust to campus life and get to know the area. It’s a great leadership opportunity and it can help you in the future as you apply for jobs.”

Why ‘The reason is Radford’: “My two older sisters actually went here. One went here for her undergraduate degree and the other for her graduate degree. It’s a beautiful campus. The class sizes are perfect and I felt I could really get to know my professors.”