by Eliyahu Gasson | opinions editor
At Wednesday night’s meeting six new senators were sworn into office. Here is a list of this year’s Student Government Association acting executives and the new senators.
President: Faith Cook
Hailing from Texas, Faith Cook has been involved with SGA since she transferred to Duquesne for the second semester of her freshman year. She was first exposed to SGA during her time as a student aid for The Center for Student Involvement, becoming a senator toward the end of the year.
“I really admired the people in SGA,” she said. “I really admired their sense of purpose and passion for what they were doing … I also wanted to feel that sense of purpose and passion that they did as a part of the larger Duquesne community.”
Cook spent her sophomore year studying abroad at Duquesne’s Rome campus. Following her return to the states she was elected Vice President of Academic Affairs.
During her time as VP of Academic Affairs, Cook helped SGA run a student giveaway scholarship, in which students could write essays explaining the ways they would improve campus. The winner wrote an essay arguing for Stop the Bleed Kits, which include gauze, tourniquets and bandages on campus, so Cook took the proposal to Campus Safety. No bleed kits can be found around campus.
Cook’s goal this year is to increase participation in SGA.
“I think to do our job well as student government, we need a really wide base of student perspectives and voices,” she said.
Cook expressed gratitude for her fellow executives, returning senators and new members of the SGA. Without them, she said, the SGA wouldn’t work.
VP of Student Life: Braily Frankhouser
From Fort City, Pennsylvania, Braily Frankhouser is a fourth year pharmacy student and the incumbent Vice President of Student Life. This will be her second year in her executive role. She previously served as the chair of the Student Life Committee during her second year. Frankhouser is also active as a member of Lambda Kappa Sigma, the professional pharmacy fraternity at Duquesne. She is also the president elect of the National Community Pharmacist Association on campus and is also in the American Pharmacist Association where she is a committee chair as well as being a member of the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association. Frankhouser is currently an intern at Rite Aid.
VP of Finance: Sean Marshall
From the suburbs of Philadelphia, senior finance major Sean Marshall is the newly elected VP of Finance for SGA. Marshall got involved with SGA last year as a senator as a way of getting more involved in campus life. One of his main goals this year is to work with local businesses to get student discounts for Duquesne students as a way of supporting local businesses. Over the summer, Marshall was an intern for Roffman Miller Associates, a wealth management firm in Philadelphia. Marshall is also the VP of Finance for Duquesne’s men’s ice hockey team as well as one of its players. He is a member of Delta Sigma Pi, the fraternity for business majors on campus.
VP of Academic Affairs: Braden Niles
From New Castle, Senior Braden Niles is the newly elected Vice President of Academic Affairs. Niles is a triple major in political science, sociology and Catholic studies. His primary mission this year is to spread awareness and usage of Duquesne’s new degree planner system, which allows students to track their academic progress and schedule classes without having to first schedule an appointment with their academic advisor. Niles is also VP of Communications for the Residence Hall Association and served as media chair for orientation. He plans on going to law school after getting his undergrad.
VP of Communications: Mary Paternoster
Florida native Mary Paternoster is the new Vice President of Communications for SGA. A sophomore secondary education and English major, Paternoster has been an active member of the SGA her entire academic year to this point. As well as being involved in student government, Paternoster is also an event operation chair for Duqathon, a dance marathon to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, which provides medical treatments and healthcare for children and their families.
The new senators:
– Julianna Faber
– Ally Evans
– Jayla Flenroy
– Catie Smith
– Lei’asha Battle