This week, I wrote to Brooke Chase, the President of the Student Government Association (SGA) at Fisher. I asked about her initiatives and vision for our campus, giving her a chance to share her insights and experiences in this leadership role. Her responses indicate how she plans to make a positive impact on our campus community and the journey that led her to this position.
Why did you run for SGA President?
I have been in SGA for my entire Fisher experience… When I knew our wonderful prior leadership, President Jenna Vinoya and Vice President Maddie Bowen would be graduating, I really took some time to think about what my future would look like in SGA. After some thinking and tremendous support, I decided I wanted to support SGA by overseeing the organization and continue being the advocate for students. I wanted to run so I could continue representing students and being their number one advocate.
What are you hoping to achieve as President of SGA?What area of Fisher do you believe needs improvement?
As the SGA President, I want to help make Fisher a place where ALL students can thrive. I want to help foster a campus culture where everyone feels included, seen, valued, and heard. I think the campus culture has shifted a bit over the past year and I hope we can work together to return to a space where all students feel comfortable. I am hoping that we can also shift how information is shared with students, focusing on more transparent language. The good news is that we have so many people in our campus community, specifically university administration who are so willing to work together to help our campus culture thrive.
What is your favorite part of SGA?
I really enjoy supporting senators’ collaboration on campus initiatives and then seeing their efforts work! The community is strong within the SGA, both on the executive board and in the senate. I am so fortunate to work with an amazing executive board who supports me and each other. My amazing team members are Emily Tollar, Mady Marsh, Daniel Liucci, Ryan Rothberg, and Andrew Ortolani.
What do you do in your free time/what else are you involved in on campus?
I am a scholar in the Honors program and I serve on the new Honors Student Advisory Board. I have worked in the Office of Admissions as a Student Ambassador for almost two years!… I also recently joined the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for the School of Business… In my personal life, I love spending time with friends, family, and my dog, Minnie! I also love trying new foods and restaurants with friends…
Is the SGA board doing anything to improve sustainability on campus?
We would most definitely be open to supporting a sustainability initiative on campus. While we do not have anyone specifically working on sustainability, the executive board or one of our senators could absolutely choose to work on that initiative. As an executive board, we would be happy to provide resources, connections, and next steps for anyone interested in working on making Fisher a more sustainable place. I also recently connected a club and faculty who are both interested in working on a sustainability effort.
What was your platform while you campaigned as president?
There are three items I campaigned on. I vowed to create space for student voice/advocacy, increase knowledge and awareness of SGA, and remain club-oriented and focused. So far, I’ve been able to work briefly on each of these, but I hope to do more. Our weekly senate meetings are always a place for student voices. We recognized many students wanted to talk about how they felt about the Senior Diversity Officer Position and express their hopes for the future of that important role in our campus community. We held a public forum focused on gathering feedback about the Senior Diversity Officer Position which had a section to chat with university administration and a student-only section. I hope that by providing more opportunities for students to talk about how they feel, they not only feel more comfortable expressing their values but also help others understand how SGA can try to best support them. This past year, after being the executive board representative of the clubs, I wanted to make it clear that in my current role, I would still continue to think of them and always support them. The clubs need support and advocacy and I will always be an additional voice for that.
Were there any promises you made to students at Fisher?
In addition to my campaign platform items of wanting to create space for student voice/advocacy, increasing awareness of SGA, and remaining club oriented, I also vow to be a voice for all. I do my very best to listen and understand the perspectives of all students so I can best represent them. I am always someone students can talk to about Fisher and I hope to be a friend to all.
