On March 11, the St. Olaf Student Senate passed a resolution that “reaffirms [Student Government Association (SGA)]’s commitment to demonstrating courage in challenging moments and expresses solidarity with students who are most affected by our current political landscape.” With this resolution, SGA pledged “unwavering support for every student’s right to self-identify and personal autonomy.”
In an interview with The Olaf Messenger, Senior Class Representative Ever Torres ’25 described returning to campus in early February after seeing the vast changes implemented by the new federal administration.
“I felt that it was [SGA’s] duty to make sure that the student body knew we were there for them,” Torres said.
Torres worked with SGA President Zaria Irving ’25 and SGA Vice President Grace Barton ’25 to draft a resolution that would affirm SGA’s support and commitment to creating an inclusive environment for the entire St. Olaf community.
This resolution is viewed by SGA as an all-encompassing statement that represents every St. Olaf student, aiming to reaffirm support for students, student organizations, and the St. Olaf community as a whole, and to offer clarity during a confusing time in higher education.
“We wanted to make sure that students know that we [SGA] are with you, we hear you, we understand you. This is within the statement,” Torres said. “We hope that when they read it they see that we are there for you.”
SGA also plans to provide support beyond the resolution through a series of action items. At the next SGA meeting, senators will participate in workshops and brainstorm sessions to assess what work can be accomplished before the end of the year.
“It can be really hard to do [diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)] work as just one branch,” said Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Kaya Clemons ’26. My goal is to have everybody [on student senate] participate in doing DEI work so that it feels easier to accomplish. Everybody has a contribution to make things more equitable and more diverse.”
The first action-based initiative will take place on March 25, when SGA is hosting a “Write for Your Rights” event from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in Buntrock Crossroads. At this event, students will have the opportunity to utilize St. Olaf resources and templates to draft letters to their government representatives about the issues they care about.
