The SGA Executive Board in Fall 2023. President Dom Lomonaco is second from right.
If there’s a part of the campus community that naturally adopts a growth mindset, it’s the students.
Student Government Association President Dominick Lomonaco provided an update of campus activities and goals during State of the College 2024. He described a year of relatively modest improvements that together significantly enhanced the student experience on campus. And he outlined how SGA will continue to address students’ needs and wishes for their college life.
“From the view of SGA, we have seen a lot of great changes on campus,” Lomonaco said.
Chief among them, he said, was the creation or reinvigoration of social events to help “grow the love” that students have for ACPHS. Lomonaco called out the Panther pregame event, pep rally and fall formal dance among a slew of activities that have brought people together. In a rigorous academic environment, these events have helped students “release their stress and be a student and be a person first,” Lomonaco said.
Staff and programmatic changes have also improved students’ well-being and sense of belonging, Lomonaco said. Chief among these have been a partnership with Russell Sage College that gives Panthers access to the neighboring institution’s wellness centers and the establishment of an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, headed by Associate Vice President Jonathan Phipps.
“We really appreciate the work that Jonathan does and how it seems he’s at every single event,” Lomonaco said.
Students also have a new formal mode of expressing their concerns and suggestions through the Student Experience Committee, established with support from Vice President for Student Experience John Felio. Through this committee, students have engaged in discussions about new academic programming and the Strategic Plan 2024-2029, while also requesting some quality-of-life improvements like a hot-food vending machine for the South Hall residence.
New clubs and recreational activities have also been added to the roster of ways to take a break from academics. There’s now a Photography Club and a Medical Laboratory Sciences Club, as well as an interest group considering the formation of a Health Occupation Students of America chapter. Intramural sports have expanded to include volleyball, basketball and now pickleball too.
There’s more to come, Lomonaco said. Among SGA’s current goals is to boost student leadership on campus, in response to students’ interest in amplifying their campus involvement. SGA plans to form a student leadership panel, where experienced student leaders would offer guidance to those aspiring to follow in their footsteps.
“As SGA, we are continuing to look for ways to improve our campus community,” Lomonaco said.