By: Megan Furtado
Posted In: News
Photo credit: Erica Johnson
Q&A with Steven Kavanagh, Student Government President.
The road to a seat in government is a difficult one – ask any politician. The lucky few get the coveted title of president. Stephen M. Kavanagh knows how hard it is to find your niche. Salve Regina University is his fifth college.
After graduating high school in 2000, Kavanagh attended Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Due to an injury sustained later that year, he was forced to withdraw, and spent his next few months recuperating and taking a course at Mt. Watchusett Community College. Once healed, he enrolled at the University of Hartford. But early in 2002, problems with paperwork forced him to withdraw once again, and he transferred to Fitchburg State College. He later moved on to Salve, and hasn’t budged since. “I’ve seen military schools, public schools, private schools, and community colleges,” laughs Kavanagh. Elected SGA President for the 2003 – 2004 academic year, Kavanagh answers questions for Mosaic about why he is a politics major, what his plans are for Salve this year, and about his ideas to change the meal plan. Q: How did you get involved in Student Government? A: I got involved right after I transferred to Salve. During Orientation, I had the opportunity to talk to Sarah Lofgren, who was then the Treasurer of SGA, and Jennifer Jensen, who is now the Assistant Dean of Students. I went to the next SGA meeting. Q: Why did you want to run for President of SGA? A: I wanted to improve student life on campus and find a way to get the students’ voices out. Q: What are some of the changes that SGA has brought about or has planned for this school year? A: We’ve established the Lighting Committee. They’ve gone around on campus and indicated which areas need better lighting. We’re planning to make a proposal to the administration for a 5 – meal plan, which will be mainly for commuter students and hopefully can be purchased at a lower rate. We’re looking to extend meal plan hours and other student options, and also looking into guest meal passes. Q: What activities have you been sponsoring? A: We just sponsored OxFam, which raised over $650 to go to OxFam International, an organization that fights poverty and oppression. Earlier in the year, we helped the Information Technology Department with their Safe Computing Campaign, which encouraged students to fix their computers and have them cleared of the virus that was around campus. Q: What do you like best about your job? A: Knowing that I can actually make a difference with the students. Or, at least, try to. Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your job? A: Probably having the desire to accomplish more tasks than there is time for. Q: What do you personally hope to gain from your experience as president of SGA? A: *laughs* I’ve never actually thought about personal benefit…personally, I just want to get the sense that I’ve made a difference. And as a politics major, the experience can only help me for the future. Q: One final question: what are your goals after graduation? A: My goal is to get into Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, or a political school in Washington, D.C. *laughs* My ultimate goal is to be a U.S. senator within 20 years. Kavanagh also requested that that his email address – Stephen.Kavanagh@salve.edu – be placed in this article in case students wished to contact him with ideas for SGA’s future.
