By Ameer Abedy and Sydney McCarter

After a highly tumultuous and eventful campaign season, Zora Johnson and Hasel Perez-Garcia were officially declared as the upcoming SGA President and Vice-President respectively. After their victory, they sat down with the Berea Torch to discuss their plans for next year and what projects they will be carrying out once they are in office. Zora and Hasel made it very clear that the main driver behind their policies will be student suggestions, which they plan to ascertain by a series of forms along with attending school events in person in order to ask for input. That being said, they did lay out certain projects they aimed to accomplish. 

The very first thing they emphasized was using the SGA to create a student advocate position for students dealing with the Title IX office. It is unclear what this will look like specifically just yet but they stressed the fact that students feel rightfully distrustful of the administration when it comes to matters pertaining to sexual misconduct around campus. Zora, the president-elect, expressed great concern over the lack of transparency between Berea College administration and the student body, vowing that student voices will be heard and honored in ongoing discussions regarding title IX, though it remains to be seen how exactly she plans to accomplish that. 

Hasel shifted the conversation to housing, noting that dorm improvements are a necessity. The foremost problem that many students around campus have identified is the mold issue. Hasel and Zora pledged to fight for better housing conditions though it is unclear how effective they will be since this problem has existed for many years and likely requires extensive policy reform, but their commitment is quite clear. 

Another challenge that Zora and Hasel plan to address is the difficulty of transferring credits to/from outside institutions. It is no secret that Berea’s credit-hour system is unique, which often causes complications for students seeking to transfer out of or into the College. While commitment to take on this challenge may be strong, obstacles posed by both administration and general college bureaucracy may limit how far the SGA’s influence may reach on this particular issue. 

At the end of the interview, Zora and Hasel commended Abrahm, noting that their style of administration will not stray too far from his. Zora and Hasel both agreed that greater transparency between the SGA and the student body will be a central goal of their reign, which may involve recording SGA meetings (assuming other elected officials agree) and making budget reports and transaction histories available for students. It is unclear if Abraham plans to meet with Zora and Hasel to train them on the duties and responsibilities of the SGA executive office or if they will have to rely on the Campus Life department for direction.