Due to the recent resignation of Vice President Jeremias Thiel, the St. Olaf Student Government Association (SGA) has been in the process of selecting a new Vice President. After careful consideration by President Sebastian Pham and the Senate, Gretchen Ellis ‘23 has been appointed to the position.
Since the start of her first year, Ellis has been involved in SGA as a Hall Senator (2019-2020), Student Life Senator (2020-2021), and prior to becoming Vice President, the Disability and Access Liaison. When talking to Ellis about her recent switch in office, Ellis said she was always interested in coordinating events and learning from people:
“Back home, I thoroughly enjoyed doing local politics with the city council and participating in city planning events,” Ellis said.
Though she has only been in office for two weeks, Ellis is already working on ideas such as having more variety in Stav Hall for those with dietary restrictions; making SGA more accessible to the student population; and allocating $10,000 to menstrual products in Buntrock.
For the year, Ellis is looking forward to cultivating a more involved Student Senate: “I want the Senate to be a mechanism for students to make change,” she says. As Vice President, Ellis hopes to better connect students to authoritative figures; and be open to learning about student concerns or ideas – her email, ellis4@stolaf.edu, is always open.
Kenzie Nguyen is a junior English major with a concentration in International Relations from Brooklyn Park, Minn.. When not in the office, Kenzie enjoys walking around town, exploring Content Bookstore, watching reality tv and movies, and chatting with her friends. She dreams about owning her own little breakfast and coffee nook. In the future, Kenzie hopes to be a news and politics reporter.