Details
Article by Amelia Kunko <amkunko@ursinus.edu>
Meet Ben Douglas, class of 2024 student and Ursinus’s SGA president. During his time in Student Government, Douglas has plans to increase SGA’s presence on campus and utilize SGA’s influence to improve the college experience for all students.
Douglas’s motivation for joining Student Government stems from his desire to improve students’ time at Ursinus. “I decided to become involved in student government towards the end of my sophomore year because I value the Ursinus experience, but do think there are ways in which it could be improved,” says Douglas. “By getting involved in SGA, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be involved on campus in a way that I hope will allow me to leave Ursinus better than I found it.”
Douglas’s involvements extend far beyond his position as president. He has been involved across campus as a computer science major and a member of the Ursinus Rugby Club. In addition, Douglas works as a part-time software developer for Lockheed Martin.
Douglas expressed his goals to collaborate more with the student body and build more awareness of SGA on campus so that students feel comfortable approaching Student Government with concerns. “During my time as president, I would like to see the student body start to utilize SGA more,” he says. “I hope that through this upcoming year, we can build students’ awareness and trust in student government.” Ultimately, SGA’s work will be a joint effort with students. “I believe that if we all come together, we can be a force for change on campus that will ultimately improve the Ursinus experience and hope to instill that attitude in as many students as possible throughout my time as president,” Douglas says.
In conjunction with his goal to make SGA’s involvement on campus a collaborative one, Douglas encourages students to approach him and other members of SGA with ideas and issues. “I would like students to know that as SGA president, I value their input and hope that they are comfortable sharing their opinions/concerns so that SGA can advocate on their behalf,” says Douglas. “I would encourage any Ursinus student to not hesitate to reach out to me or anybody who is a part of SGA to provide their input.”
Douglas and the rest of the SGA executive board are busy with plans to improve the Ursinus student experience in any way they can. “SGA has a lot planned for this semester, in addition to the events our social chairs intend to host throughout the year, we plan on continuing growing SGA’s influence on community improvements,” he says. “This includes initiatives such as advocating for a fairer educational environment through the implementation of the newly created Student Regulations Committee, encouraging the facilitation of a more equitable living environment across campus by installing water filters in Main Street houses, and improving the accessibility of the valuable resources provided by the Wellness Center.” SGA’s current plans are not exhaustive, and Douglas emphasized this. “Beyond the initiatives we have planned, we are prepared to advocate on behalf of the student body whenever necessary,” he says.
For Douglas, the overall hope is that SGA becomes an active and involved organization on campus that works alongside students to create change. “As president of SGA, I want to help SGA grow into a sustainable force for good on campus,” says Douglas. “I hope that through the efforts of this year’s Student Government representatives, we can begin to get SGA more involved in the decision-making process on campus to ensure the student body’s thoughts and concerns are heard and valued.”
The campus community is excited to work with President Douglas and the SGA executive board this upcoming school year, and we cannot wait to see what SGA has in store to help improve the Ursinus experience. If you have any concerns or topics you would like to discuss with SGA, reach out to Student Government at SGA@ursinus.edu. Meetings are generally every other Wednesday, with the next meeting post-publication on September 27 at 8pm in the Pfahler Auditorium.