I am running to be the President of Student Government Association because I am dedicated to improving student life at Bentley. What most people do not know about SGA is that we meet weekly with some of the highest levels of university leadership to act as the student voice and address any problems or concerns. The best way for you to get your voice heard is to talk to a member of SGA so that we can better represent you at these meetings. This is why one of my main goals as President is to establish a stronger connection between SGA and the entire student body.

For the past three years of my time at Bentley, I have gotten involved in a variety of organizations. I have been the President of Momentum Dance Organization and the Vice President of Administration of Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. I also work as a Business Center Attendant in the Student Center and a summer Orientation Leader for first-year students. Within SGA, I have served multiple roles, including Senator, Chair of Sustainability, and Executive of Internal Affairs. With your vote, I hope to continue my work in SGA through the role of President.

Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as your student Senator listening and learning about the accomplishments and challenges you’ve faced across campus. Spending my time working within the student affairs committee focused on student specific issues, I’ve recognized the power our community possess when we unify our voices for in pursuit of better.

Crossing paths with many of you in the student center, library, and extracurricular events, you’ve taken the time to explain your admiration, pride, and sometimes frustration for how Bentley can be better. From academic, social, and cultural life, to passing time at your not so favorite dining hall, I understand the everyday experiences that makes our community one worth living in.

I’m running for Student Government Association President because I believe I can be the unifying voice between students and faculty to not only increase the productivity of our campus, but sustain the vision that has allowed us to see the value in each other. From international countries to domestic states, each of us has chosen this campus to contribute our time to become a better version of ourselves. We can only be good when we choose to do good, and that means electing a leader who has your values at heart. Vote Denzel

My name is Michael Watkins and I am running for SGA President. It’s difficult for us all to be away from each other, but know that I am here to be your voice, just as I have been over the last two years in the SGA as a Senator and as your Vice President this year. To guarantee I hear your voice, my phone number is (507) 219-7755. Whenever an issue comes up, I want you to text or call me. Whether it’s an issue with the food, laptops, class selection, or anything in-between, I will always be your biggest advocate to the University. Your voice matters, and I will make sure of that.

This past year, I served as Vice President of SGA, where we worked to strengthen ties to the community, improve university services, and build a stronger more cohesive university. As your President, I will bring continuity to work already underway – important efforts that will continue to put student voices first and position Bentley to be a world-class university that competes with the top tier business schools for both internships and jobs.

Outside of SGA, I created the Bentley Shark Tank Competition, and I am a Portfolio Manager with BIG and involved with many clubs and organizations. We all want an amazing college experience that positions us well for internships and, ultimately, great careers. I will do everything in my power to ensure you get the Bentley experience that you not only want but deserve. Thank You.

Hello, I am Blake Flaherty, a rising junior studying finance. I am running for vice president of the Student Government Association. I have been a member of SGA for two academic years and am currently a member of the Student Affairs committee. I have helped work on initiatives such as organizing the Uber and Lyft designated locations around campus. What sets me apart from other SGA senators is my involvement and knowledge of how other clubs are run on campus. In the past two years I have risen to challenges such as starting my own club (Bentley Car Club) and holding several different executive board positions in different clubs. I always strive to ensure the student experience is as good as it possibly can be. With my advanced knowledge and involvement in the student body I know that I can continue to represent students well. Given my ongoing involvement in SGA, my previous leadership experience in other clubs, and my dedication to representing the student body, I feel that I would be the best fit for the vice president position of SGA.

My name is Bobby Olejarczyk and I want to be your Executive Vice President of the SGA for the 2020-2021 academic year. I currently serve as the chair of the Diversity Committee where I have worked with faculty and staff for diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and have fought to protect your identities and individual practices, from making sure that vegetarian options were available on Fridays in Lent, to addressing incidents of racism and discrimination. Bentley’s diversity is one of our most outstanding features, and I am dedicated to bringing Bentley closer together as a community that appreciates our growing diversity.

As your Executive Vice President, I will continue our pursuits of making SGA more noticeable and recognizable so that you know who to come to with questions and concerns. Additionally, I will work hard to make sure that administration understands and acts on what we, the students, need changed. Whether it’s a suggestion box in high-traffic areas on campus or our senators tabling outside the 921 in order to hear the ideas you have for a better Bentley, I will be committed to transparency by making sure that you all feel comfortable with coming to us and assured that we will help to solve any problem to the best of our abilities. The Student Government Association is a group of advocates for you, our fellow falcons. I will be dedicated to harvesting that advocacy, in hopes that you know we have your best interest in mind.
 

My name is Brendan Vann and I am running for Executive VP of SGA. I am an incoming sophomore who served on SGA as a senator in org management and the chair of the sustainability committee, in addition to serving as the 2023 class cabinet president. While I am confident that my qualifications prepare me, they are not everything. It is my effort, team first mentality, and experience with administration, that will catalyze positive change. Even though I haven’t been here long, it is evident that Bentley is an outstanding university with a plethora of unrivaled student resources, programs, and services. Through my involvement with both class cabinet and SGA, it is also evident that there are a lot of very passionate students and staff on this campus. If elected VP, I will strive to connect passionate students, dedicated administration/staff, and the programs Bentley currently has in place. I would establish the Bentley Leadership Conference, and event where Eboard representatives from Bentley orgs would have a chance to talk directly to SGA and members of administration. I would also seek to evolve, improve, and expand the NEST program into an alumni mentorship and networking opportunity for students. Lastly, I want to bring a much-needed change of culture. There are far too many instances of administration making decisions without student input. Communication is the key if we truly want to make Bentley better. If given the opportunity, I will be your voice, work with administration directly, and ensure students are heard.

My name is Harrison Weiss and I am running for Chair of the Organization Management Committee in Student Government. I want to help my fellow students find an aspect of Bentley life that they can call their own. I will be a junior this fall, and I am currently a Senator in SGA, a Student Coordinator for Orientation, a tutor in the CisSandbox, a member of numerous student organizations, and a CIS major at Bentley. One of the most important aspects of life in the Bentley community is student organizations. They provide unique opportunities to forge new relationships, explore new interests, and allow students to learn from one another. Personally, my involvement as Vice President of Bentley Open Market Committee and membership in Political organizations on campus helped me choose my academic minors, Economics and Public Policy. Some of my favorite Bentley memories come from the Snowboard club’s annual Jay Peak trip. While I was able to find roles in existing student organizations, I know many Bentley students cannot pursue their interests through current organizations. I want to make sure that these students, whose ideas are valuable additions to the Bentley community, have their chance to have the positive experiences I have. Starting a brand-new organization is challenging and requires a massive commitment from students, and I believe they deserve all the help they can get from the Student Government. I believe I can make this process easier for students and help them realize their goals at Bentley.

Last semester, I was on SGA as a senator, and it made me realize how much our thoughts matter to the school. If elected, I want to bring more diverse voices to increase student representation in discussions that matter the most.

Hi, my name is Matt Agri and as a rising junior I am currently running for the position of Student Government Senator. When I first started my time here at Bentley, one of the things that I was constantly being told was "get involved". While I am sure many of you have heard this same advice, and used it to your advantage, it took myself some time before understanding just how important connections really are. For this reason, I decided to join SGA. During my time in SGA, I have served on the Organization Management Committee with the primary goal of making our campus one where everyone feels they belong. Whether it be working along side existing student organizations or meeting with aspiring clubs, I have always tried ensure that the entire student body has and will continue to have new places to make friends and get involved! In order to continue to make Bentley such a great place to live and learn, I constantly try gain insight from my peers regarding anything Bentley related. As a strong communicator, I hope to promote conversation between students and administration as well as ensure that each and every member of the student body feels that, not only do they have a voice, but also a place where they truly belong!

I have served as a senator on the Academics Committee in SGA for the last 3 semesters. I am serving as the SGA student representative for Bentley's Undergraduate Curriculum Task Force and will continue that role through the Summer and Fall.

After serving one semester as a senator, I would really love to be re-elected for my sophomore year. Working with faculty and other students to find ways of improving the Bentley community has been an extremely rewarding experience that I would love to continue. As a member of the Women’s Soccer team, I think I have access to many people with many differing opinions. This insight is so useful so that I can really help people’s voice be heard and concerns be addressed. I hope to be re-elected as a senator to continue improving Bentley as a whole.

I am excited to run once again for the position of Senator. I have been a senator since my freshman year and have enjoyed being involved in our community. Last year I had the privilege of being chair of the IT committee where I lead a small group that focused on IT issues. This coming year I hope to continue being the best Senator I can be.

Hello, I am Blake Flaherty, a rising junior studying finance. I am running for a senator position on the Student Government Association. I have been a member of SGA for two academic years and am currently a member of the Student Affairs committee. I have helped work on initiatives such as organizing the Uber and Lyft designated locations around campus. I would like to continue representing the student body at SGA in order to give students the best opportunities and experiences possible. Being heavily involved on campus in several different organizations, I know and understand what students would like to see. With my leadership skills and advanced knowledge about the student body, I feel that I would be a great candidate to rerun for SGA. I look forward to seeing and continuing to meet other students around campus!

My name is Alyssa Gaeta and I’m running for Senator as part of the Student Government Association. The Student Governing body serves our community by voicing student opinion, creating a platform for discussion, and upholding Bentley traditions. My qualifications include serving as Chair of Events for the Honors Program, where the council and I helped reconstruct the academic pathway of the Honors Program, improving the current academic structure by listening to students and implementing changes. My goal as Senator is to continue to provide students a voice by frequently surveying the student body in an effort to better understand how campus life can be improved. I’ve also had experience with creating a platform for discussion through serving on a panel for incoming Honors students. Through this panel, I engaged with prospective students and answered questions that could be critical to their decision to attend Bentley. As Senator, my goal for providing a forum for discussion is creating a social media account to engage current students and create an ongoing dialog about important issues. Lastly, in order to sustain Bentley’s traditions, I will work to incorporate them into everyday campus life, whether that be through more artwork around campus or hosting more student oriented events. At Bentley, our greatest asset is our tradition and history, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure the diverse perspectives of our community are heard. I really hope that you allow me to help make changes that will benefit our community.

My name is Rebecca Hayes and I am applying to be a Senator in SGA. This year I was a Senator and served on the Sustainability Committee. Part of my duties were to enhance and create new ways that the Bentley community can help in reducing waste around campus. Beyond this, I also helped with approving organizations around campus, and discussing issues relating to either dissatisfactions that students are feeling, or other admin related problems. Being a part of SGA has made me more aware of the ripple effect that actions taken around campus can have. It is important to ensure students are happy and safe, and being an active part of that mission means a lot to me. I am also involved in Sophomore Class Cabinet and Italian Club, so I am exposed to how other organizations are affected by either decisions or lack-there-of. I want to continue being a voice for others around campus, and help make Bentley the best it can be.

Hi, my name is Branford Kanagawa and I am running for Senator in our Student Government Association. As a person who deeply cares about other people’s needs and wants, striving to maximize our Bentley community’s happiness is my most important goal. As a member of the SGA I will work openly with Bentley’s Administration and my fellow students. By listening to my peers and understanding how you all feel, I will utilize my position, to the best of my abilities, to provide you with everything that I can. My previous work and leadership positions have allowed me to gain valuable experience in teamwork and building a community through motivation. Finally, my mission is to create a better living and learning experience for everyone to enjoy. Thank you and vote for Branford Kanagawa as one of your Senators.

I want to continue being a Senator in SGA to be involved with the change-making process at Bentley. I have served three consecutive semesters on SGA and have served on the Diversity, Sustainability, and Food Advisory committees. I am also involved with various student organizations and am serving as a Resident Assistant. If I am granted the opportunity to, once again, serve the student body, I would like to ameliorate the distance between the administration and student body that arose through occasional mishaps in communication from the top. I believe that my involvement at Bentley as an international student, first-year-area Resident Assistant, and member of various student organizations has provided and will continue to provide me with different opinions from Bentley students. This will help the administration considers the diverse perspectives during their efforts to bring positive changes to campus. I hope to ensure that student opinions are not just being heard, but being considered by members of the administration and that students are informed about the changes and events around campus. Too often, I have seen my friends and residents be unaware of the positive changes that the administration has brought with time and effort. Similarly, I have also seen students unable to voice their opinions about imminent or realized changes on campus because they were not informed during the process. As an institution like Bentley University exists to create an invaluable experience for its students, I hope to continue to serve as the bridge between students and administration.

Hi, my name is Samantha Lovering and I’m running to represent the student body as a senator for the 2020-2021 academic year. This past year I’ve had the privilege to serve as a senator for Bentley’s Student Government Association as part of the academics subcommittee. Throughout the past year, I have been involved in curriculum development, helping to push forth fresh ideas for how a core curriculum at Bentley could look going forward. If elected, I hope to continue the work and see out the curricular change already taking place through pilot courses. Furthermore, being on student government throughout my freshman year has helped me to gain perspective on how important student voice is in decision making. As Bentley goes through continual core curriculum development, students must have a voice in the process. Prior to Bentley, I served as the student representative to my town’s Board of Education and on the Connecticut State Student Advisory Council. While these opportunities were different from a college environment, I gained an interesting perspective on what drives different students and how important it is for an environment to be conducive to learning. If elected, I hope to continue to bring student voice to the forefront of the conversation and make Bentley a better place for all students.

I believe I would be a good candidate for the Student Government Association because of my past leadership experience, strong work ethic, and drive to better the experience of my fellow classmates and peers. This past year I have had the privilege of serving as a student Senator on the Marketing Committee of the Student Government Association. While serving as Senator on the Marketing Committee I was able to work with other Senators to increase the visibility and accessibility of the Student Government Association as a whole, promote student engagement across organizations, and grow the Student Government Association’s Social Media Presence. In addition to being a part of the Student Government Association I am involved in Greek Life as a new member of the Sorority Phi Sigma Sigma, The Residence Hall Association as Vice President of the Trees Residence Hall Council, Dresses to Dreams, The Bentley Marketing Association, and I am an Orientation Leader for the Fall 2020 Semester. All of these organizations have played an important role in making my Bentley Experience unique and I believe that the uniqueness of my experience has given me the ability to work with and lead a diverse and driven student population in a way that will better the experience of all Bentley Students as a whole.

I have been a SGA senator since my Freshman year at Bentley and would like to continue doing so. Through that time and the committees I have served on as a result, I have learned valuable lessons that I can apply to this position. I pride myself on taking on roles in SGA that many people are not it and working to make a positive change. In both groups I have served on, I have been one of two people on the team. I plan on continuing to do so and creating results visible to the Bentley campus.

My name is Bobby Olejarczyk and if not your Executive Vice President, I would like to be reelected as a senator on the SGA. If I hold the same role next year, I hope to continue my pursuits as chair of the Diversity Committee and continue making developments on initiatives that were preempted by the unexpected effects of COVID-19. While still fighting for the protection of everyone’s unique identity, I hope to create a student committee that is dedicated solely to equity and inclusion on campus, who can then work more with the Faculty Senate to ensure that our campus is as welcoming and accepting as possible. Additionally, I hope to continue my work with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion to hear from the student body as to what an “inclusive Bentley” looks like and then create a display to present and remind the community of what we are striving towards. I promise to be an advocate for you. I understand that our job on the SGA is to be liaisons between the student body and the University. We are the ones who listen to the concerns you have, discuss the best plan of action, and then work with members of our staff and administration to solve them to the best of our abilities. I am aware of the important job that this is, and I am confident in my abilities to be a good representative of the entire undergraduate population.

Hello! My name is Cem Özsümer and I am an upcoming sophomore for the 2020-2021 year. I am an international student from Turkey, and because of that Bentley has been the most important community for me in the US. I have felt that in my limited time on campus this year has been a great experience. Therefore, I wish to become a Senator in SGA to ensure everyone on campus can have a pleasant experience as I have. I wish to be a voice of those around me and establish that connection between students and SGA. I feel that essentially, I wish to join SGA to strengthen the bond among students and bring new ideas to the table. I also hope that I can further ideas and bring a new perspective as an international student. Personally, I feel qualified as I believe my experiences in student organizations such as MUN, Honors Council and Worldview Ambassador have allowed me to communicate and exchange ideas with many students on campus and learn their experiences. Besides that, knowing my history of student government from my high school will contribute to my fondness in representing other students on campus. I hope that I would get this chance to enable change and ensure that your experience on campus is the best it could be. Since we are not campus, I would love to chat about my candidacy and your thoughts through social media! Please email me for any comments! :D

I’m Dan Sirignano, and I’m running as a candidate to be a member of the Student Government Association (SGA).  This past school year I have been a part of SGA and it has been a great experience so far. I’ve served on the Diversity Committee where we have tried bringing on new initiatives around campus to promote sustainability. If I were to be elected as a senator for the 2020 to 2021 school year, my goal would be to represent the interests of Bentley students in order to make everyone’s experience as enjoyable as possible. I think that there is often a disconnect in communication between the administration and Bentley students, and being a senator on the SGA can provide a solid platform to voice the concerns of students and implement new ideas around campus in favor of the students. As a member of the SGA, I would reflect the views of students onto members of the administration in order to bring attention to problems and find solutions, regardless of what the problem involves. I would also prioritize relaying information back to students to ensure that everyone is informed and up to speed on any important matters. I hope I’ll be able to help represent the all Bentley students and improve everyone’s overall experience at Bentley in the 2020 to 2021 school year.  Thank you for your consideration!

My name is Brendan Vann and I am running for SGA Senator. I am an incoming sophomore who served on SGA as a senator in org management and the chair of the sustainability committee, in addition to serving as the 2023 class cabinet president. While I am confident that my qualifications prepare me, they are not everything. It is my effort, team first mentality, and experience with administration, that will catalyze positive change.

In my short time in SGA I have learned a lot about what Bentley has to offer and have met countless students and staff equally passionate about the university. I truly believe the way to maximize the energy and resources on Bentley’s campus is through SGA, the bridge between student and administration.

If reelected as SGA senator I will strive to connect passionate students, dedicated administration/staff, and the programs Bentley currently has in place. I would establish the Bentley Leadership Conference, and event where Eboard representatives from Bentley orgs would have a chance to talk directly to SGA and members of administration. I would also seek to evolve, improve, and expand the NEST program into an alumni mentorship and networking opportunity for students. 

Bentley wants to hear our feedback and making sure our voices heard is critical for continuing to better the university. I have already built strong administrate bonds and am confident that I can continue to work with them to ensure students are accounted for in all decisions.

My name is Harrison Weiss and I am running to be a senator in the Student Government Association. I want to help mediate between the concerns of Bentley students and the constraints of the Administration to improve upon the experiences in the Bentley community. I will be a junior this fall, and am currently a Senator in SGA, a Student Coordinator for Orientation, a tutor in the CisSandbox, Vice President of Bentley Open Market Committee, Treasurer of Bentley Future Business Leaders of America, a member of numerous other student organizations, and a CIS major at Bentley. In my previous semester in SGA, I served on the IT committee, collecting student feedback on technology resources and use on campus and finding and testing solutions with University employees. One of the top issues I wanted to solve when joining SGA was the lack of preparation of new student computers that resulted from the end of the mobile computing program. If a student did not take IT101 until their second semester, they would go without having key programs installed on their computers, such as Microsoft Office and printing capabilities. Through SGA, I was able to raise this concern to the directors of Data Management and Applications and will be working with them to set up a time during Orientation this fall to prepare student computers for their academic careers. I hope to continue to be a part of SGA and help create more solutions to the challenges faced within the Bentley Community.