A torch has been passed at Georgia State. On Thursday, Nov. 10th, the Student Government Association held its last meeting of the semester. A semester that saw the passing of numerous pieces of legislation, the seating of many new senators and an increased level of involvement not seen in years.
During this meeting, the Executive Vice President of the Atlanta campus, Ira Livnat, officially resigned from SGA. In his place, Myla Williams, a senator from the College of Arts and Sciences, was elected into the position after a two-thirds majority vote from the sitting senators.
At the head of this administration, Livnat made it his mission to initiate the new senators and executive members coming into their first year at SGA, while continuing his work for the students.
He accomplished all of these things. Student body president Anthonio Prince and Speaker of the Atlanta Senate Jordan Madden, both of whom were elected last semester and make up the 93rd administration, have expressed that Livnat’s experience in SGA was invaluable in pushing the organization in the right direction.
Livnat is a five-year veteran of SGA, first running for student-body President in his freshman year. Since losing that election, he has worked tirelessly to get into SGA and do unparalleled work for the student body.
Among his laundry list of accomplishments, Livnat has worked with the Parking department to better the parking situation on campus and return thousands of dollars to students. He has worked to make resources like menstrual products and scantrons freely available to students. Just recently, he worked with the Panthercard office to make Panthercards free for two weeks and work to bring the prices of replacements down in the future.
SGA is left in good hands however, Williams has served in the Senate for two years and has served as the Student Services Committee Chair for almost a year. In that time, Williams has held numerous tabling events to promote mental and sexual health, the most out of any seated Senator.
In an interview with The Signal, we asked EVP Williams about her thoughts toward her appointment as EVP.
“After serving as a member of the Senate for the past two years, I’m overjoyed to become the EVP. I am more grateful and thankful than anything that the members of the Senate felt that I was equipped to fulfill the role of EVP. With my position, I plan to establish more structure within the Atlanta campus of SGA. Through serving in the Senate and as the Student Services Committee Chair, a lot of the issues we encountered in SGA this year as well as in the last administration stem from a lack of structure. I plan to work alongside Speaker Madden to help implement a structure that will allow a lot of things to run smoothly. For the student body, I plan to continue the work I did as the Student Services Committee Chair which consisted of working alongside Parking and Transportation to better the parking situation on campus. I plan to serve on the student advisory council for the College of Arts and Sciences and encourage other members of SGA to serve on the advisory councils for their Colleges. In order to bring a different perspective to those councils. I also plan to continue on the initiatives I was working on before, pertaining to mental health, sexual health on campus, safety on campus as well as access to resources.”
We also asked Livnat about his resignation and how he reflects on his nearly half a decade in SGA.
“I will always be a fierce advocate for others. In that regard, nothing’s changed. I chose this moment as a good stopping point for a few reasons. First, I feel that I’ve left no stone unturned, no road not taken, no opportunity unseized. Second, there is a moment where you realize the last thing you have left to give is space and the last thing you have left to do is let go. I think the timing of those two things is critical to ensuring a successful and healthy future for any venture. Of course, eventually, the sun must set. What a beautiful sunset this is. The leadership in SGA is so strong. EVP Myla Williams is more than ready, willing, and able to lead this campus and this organization. Watching her take center stage so gracefully and firmly is inspiring. Similarly, Speaker Jordan Madden is prepared to support her and continue doing great work. There are very few people who are so committed to their position and constituents that they would pass up what most people would consider to be a promotion. But Speaker Madden has done so twice. His commitment to his constituent and his sense of duty is unwavering. I wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing a lot more of him in the near future. I want to express my gratitude to SGA, to Student Media, and to the student body. Thank you for trusting me to lead you. Thank you for standing by me through the easy times and the difficult times. Thank you for believing in me when no one else did. Thank you for giving me the space and time to grow and learn. Thank you.”
The Nov. 10th meeting also saw the departure of Senator Matthew Adjen-Tetty, Financial Director Jennifer Ogbodo and Speaker Pro Tempore Sydney Barret, all students who have done nothing but serve the student body since arriving at Georgia State.
There is a new guard in SGA, and they are committed to continuing the work they have been doing for years.
The welfare of the student body requiring it.
