“As SGA president, I have made it my goal to meet frequently with clubs on campus, as well as the College’s administrative offices. I have found at Emmanuel that the administration is very supportive of student-generated programming and ideas.” – Caroline Dias
EM: What is your advice for the incoming Class of 2015? CD: Get involved right away; this is your chance to make new friends and start a new beginning. If you cannot find a club or a sport that you’re interested in, go to the Office of Student Activities and start one. We are an amazing community within the gates of Emmanuel College, but once you take a step onto Brookline Avenue or The Fenway, you are in a thriving city where you can take advantage of everything that Boston has to offer. Every day will be different. You’ll start the day in class in the Administration Building and that night you will be in Fenway Park cheering on the Red Sox with thousands of other people. Emmanuel offers opportunities for every person on campus and all around the region. These are the some of the best years of your life, take a chance and do something that you’ve never done before. t
Summer 2011
involved on campus and I thought that student government would allow me to meet a lot of different people and be exposed to many aspects of life at Emmanuel. I never participated in student council in high school, partially because I transferred high schools in the middle of my sophomore year, but I really became interested in student government at Emmanuel when I heard the executive president give a presentation to my freshmen class during “Welcome Week.” When I became SGA president, my top priority was to represent the needs of the Emmanuel student body, but I was also focused on raising awareness on campus of what SGA does. Our mission is to provide effective leadership for the college
I focused on promoting participation in our longstanding traditions here at Emmanuel, as well, including Convocation, Sophomore Pinning, Junior Ring & Tassel, Senior Cap & Gown and Founders’ Day.
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EM: Why did you want to get involved in Student Government Association? What were your goals when you became SGA president? CD: I knew right away that I wanted to be
community; represent the student body in an official capacity; provide a communication link between the students, faculty and administration; fairly distribute and oversee the mandatory student activities fee; provide meaningful social, educational, community and booster programs for the benefit of the college community; and address any campus-related issues. The SGA is made up of 25 members, which include seven positions of the executive board, four senate members of each class, a commuter senator and a resident senator. Along with having our weekly Tuesday meetings during activities period, there are many subcommittees that meet weekly or bi-weekly that range from the finance committee to the food service committee. We receive a budget that comes from the student activities fee that is included in the tuition of every undergraduate student. This amount covers the intramurals for the COF, sponsored lecture series, leadership receptions, and each oncampus club’s budget to hold events and programs in which all students are allowed to participate. As SGA president, I have made it my goal to meet frequently with clubs on campus, as well as the College’s administrative offices. I have found at Emmanuel that the administration is very supportive of student-generated programming and ideas, and I meet weekly with various staff members and administrators. I also wanted it to be a year of unforgettable events and we started strong with a concert featuring the band State Radio that was sponsored by Ill Beatz, a percussion group on campus. We also hosted a flag football tournament in the fall with the classes competing against one another — the seniors beat the sophomores in the final game! We also had a phenomenal Midnight Madness event this year to kick off the basketball season.
Emmanuel Magazine
program that began in the Mediterranean and ended in the British Virgin Islands. After my freshman year, due to the encouragement of my Spanish professor, I attended a seven-week Spanish language program at Middlebury College in Vermont. Living in Boston has helped unite my classroom experiences to the real world. I have had a lot of assignments that have led me to visit the surrounding museums like the Museum of Fine Arts for a “Chemistry and Art” assignment, and the Museum of Science on college night. I’ve also become a member of Red Sox Nation over the past four years, having gone to at least three games a season, and was in Kenmore Square during my freshman year when the Red Sox won the World Series. I’ve also been able to take advantage of internships, including a journalism position in the world news and politics department of a local e-magazine, and a role with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.
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