The Student Government Association has appointed a full 15-student Senate for the first time since 2019.

The Senate helps host events and supports the officers who make up the SGA’s executive board, according to SGA President Zack Buster.

“I’m excited because more senators means more hands and more hands means that SGA gets to do more,” Buster said. “That also means that SGA has more voices directly involved with it.”

In the fall, the SGA filled the vacancies for its vice presidents to make up the first full executive board since 2019. The student body elects SGA officers every spring, but too few candidates ran to fill the six open slots for vice presidents.

Vanessa Cardozo, the former vice president of campus activities, resigned from the position on Nov. 20, leaving SGA with one vacancy on its executive board.

One new SGA senator, first-year undecided student Marvin Ortega, will organize activities and events. 

Another new senator, second-year creative writing student Lui Rogers, joined the SGA because it has “grown to a size where it … can actually do something to make students’ lives better.” 

“One of my goals is to … go to an event that we put together and help set up [and watch] interesting people just having fun,” Rogers said. “Because campus life can be stressful in the semester.” 

Third-year pre-med student Denaija Parker, another new senator, joined so “people’s voices can be heard.”

“In order to have a community college that feels like a community, it’s important to have … welcoming leadership,” Parker said. “In order to make sure that the campus is, like, in a great place.”

Parker was already “friends with a few of the senators” before joining.

SGA confirmed the last of the senators in late November and held the first official Senate meeting on Nov. 28. 

Senators will continue to hold biweekly meetings this semester, but the dates have yet to be determined.