Incoming SGA Officials Share Their Goals

Sheridan Speight '25 and Evan Spillane '25, the newly elected Student Body Preisdent and Vice President. Credit: Ava Battinelli ‘26

The Marist Student Government Association is preparing for a new group of leaders to take the helm later this spring, and with a new leadership group comes new initiatives.

Sheridan Speight ‘25 will become the next student body president near the end of the academic year; she will replace current SGA head Amanda DeFalco ‘24. Serving alongside her as the next executive vice president will be Evan Spillane ‘25, and he will take over for current EVP Mia Hemme ‘24. Replacing Spillane as the Class of 2025 President will be Glenn Halliday ‘25. The remaining roles for the class of 2025 are currently vacant.

The Class of 2026 is officially set to be led by President Ethan Solury ‘26 and Vice President Flavia “Vi” Geraci ‘26, with Gavin Gilooly ‘26 serving as archivist and Benji Kurani ‘26 working as the treasurer.

The Class of 2027 will feature a leadership team of President Kyla Sevim ‘27 and Vice President Michael Russo ‘27, with Briana Perez ‘27 filling the secretary role and Samantha Mattioli ‘27 becoming the treasurer.

Back row: Flavia “Vi” Geraci '26, Samantha Mattioli '27, Ethan Solury '26, Michael Russo '27, Benji Kurani '26 Front Row: Gavin Gilooly '26, Briana Perez '27, Kyla Sevim '27, Sheridan Speight '25, Evan Spillane '25, Glenn Halliday '25. Credit: Ava Battinelli ‘26

Speight’s administration has several priorities, the first being to improve the student dining experience. With Gourmet Dining becoming the new food provider at Marist, many meals at on-campus eateries cost more than $10, and contactless pickup has become the new norm. Speight plans to advocate for “reasonable” prices for on-campus meals, while also encouraging the creation of a more efficient system for students to pick up their food. 

Speight also seeks to streamline some of the confusing processes that students deal with, including registration, advising and housing. Her primary goal is to implement frequent information sessions to educate students on how these complicated processes work. 

As the SGA’s current vice president of academic affairs, Speight leads a board of student representatives from each of the college’s academic schools. She hopes to use that experience to provide more opportunities for students to connect with their professors and administrators.

“My board members and I sit on several faculty or administrative committees as student representatives to voice concerns from the student body as they arise. I intend to continue these efforts as student body president, not only in representing my peers to faculty and administration, but by improving student life and academic experiences as well,” Speight wrote in an email to the Circle.

Spillane also detailed some of his goals for their administration, including reinstituting a shuttle that would bring students to popular off-campus locations and expanding gender-inclusive housing options. After three years in student government, Spillane has heard concerns from dozens of students and is in a position to act on them.

“I have spent a lot of time engaging with the student body by going around and listening to people's feedback about anything Marist-related,” Spillane wrote in an email. “Every student has something they wish was different or better, and I enjoy listening to people talk about what that thing is for them.”

As for Solury, he hopes to build upon his first year as Class of 2026 president by working to increase student engagement. Solury already has experience working with the Marist Booster Club; he now has his sights set on partnering with different clubs, councils and organizations on campus to improve turnout at sporting and academic events.

Within the Class of 2027, Sevim takes over for outgoing president Liam McHugh after losing to him by one vote in October’s election. Russo, who will continue as the Class of 2027’s VP, also indicated his desire to continue bringing the Marist community together and to be a resource for students who wish to voice their concerns.