Stephanie Rogner, a junior marketing major from Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Anna Williams, a sophomore communication studies major from Huntington, will step into their new roles as student body president and vice president when their terms begin later this spring.
“It’s incredibly special as a woman to form a sisterhood with someone in a leadership position and just have so many people count on you,” Rogner said.
Rogner serves as chief of staff for the current SGA administration. Williams is new to student government.
“We basically ran on three top priorities,” Williams said. “The first is tuition reform, to work on making college more affordable for students here. The second is mental health services, to make sure we’re taking care of our students efficiently and properly. The last is a homecoming concert, just so we could expand some of the activities that week and make it more fun for students who attend.”
Rogner pointed out their top three priorities can be used as recruiting tools as well, which directly affects Marshall.
The pair says one of the draws to getting involved on campus is the sense of community that Marshall provides.
“I think it’s really special,” Williams said. “One of the most special things about Marshall is the family aspect. It’s a large campus, but you also see so many familiar faces each day, so I think being in these positions is humbling.”
Students at West Virginia University recently elected an all-female ticket to their student body leadership, as well. Rogner and Williams are hoping they can work together to make a positive impact on higher education in West Virginia.
“I’ve already reached out to the two who won at WVU and we’re scheduling a conference call with them after spring break to touch base and figure out how we can utilize each other,” Rogner said. “Having this opportunity is definitely going to be remarkable.”
“To see the two major universities in West Virginia with women leading them in 2019 is incredibly special,” Williams added.
Marshall’s SGA inauguration is set for May 5.
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Photo: Stephanie Rogner (left) and Anna Williams have been elected student body president and vice president, respectively, at Marshall University.