By A Student
Right past the Office of Greek Life, but just before the athletic ticket booths, there is a door that is almost hidden, with a small logo embossed on it. This door should be hard to miss, because behind it lays the offices of the Student Government Association. In an entire college career here at the University of Louisville, many students will never set foot in that office. But for students who want to find out a bit more about student government, it is necessary to go beyond that often unnoticed door.
?Inside is an unfamiliar, dimly lit waiting area of sorts. Questions seem to be hanging in the air. What does anyone really know about the current administration? Answers were needed from the almost untouchable Sana Abhari – or so it seemed.
Then Abhari herself entered the office. A fifth-year senior majoring in political science, with minors in economics and Spanish, she is SGA president for the 2010-2011 school year. Although some students saw former administrations as out of touch with the student body, Abhari quickly brought the idea of student government as a representative body back to campus.
“She’s coming into her fifth year,” said John Weber, services vice president. “She has experience and she knows the university. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but she’s a different type of student, a different type of candidate. She represents a different group on campus that traditionally has not been heard. We all kind of play our role and have a piece to fit into the puzzle.”
Some students may wonder what their SGA president keeps in her office. With a Marilyn Monroe poster plastered on the wall, and bits of personal memorabilia scattered in different areas, it was clear that Abhari spent a good amount of her time in this room. With not a mess in sight, it was a perfect reflection of who Abhari turned out to be.
Still, what’s most impressive about Abhari is not the fact that she is student body president, but who she is in the role of student body president. She wasn’t homecoming queen or a member of a Greek organization. She was president of the Iranian Student Organization. She wasn’t the most popular candidate on the slate last year, but she was a regular student who understood the position of those in SGA, as well as the position of those on the outside looking in.
“There are so many things that she wasn’t a part of that really made her stand out,”said Kurtis Frizzell, academic vice president. “It showed that she really had to connect with students. So the thing that I want people to remember is that she was the students’ candidate.”
After participating in SGA in her early years at the university, Abhari took some time away from student government, to see it from the perspective of the average student.
“I studied abroad in Spain, came back, and wanted to just take a year off SGA and not be as involved as I used to be,” said Abhari. “I used The Cardinal to stay in touch and keep up with the issues. It was then that I started to understand the lack of communication and kind of what students always complain about when it comes to SGA. So, being on the outside, I was like, ‘OK, I’m starting to see the problems.’ Because when you’re in SGA, or any organization, it’s hard to see the faults and to kind of step back and see the bigger picture.”
Even with the controversy surrounding last year’s election, Abhari still dominated in the polls, winning by an overwhelming margin. Though each candidate made their cases to students, it was Abhari’s reputation and past experiences on campus that brought her to victory.
“Sana has always been someone who has represented students well, as well as been a great role model for students,” said Amanda Bates, a junior fine arts major and assistant to the president. “So, when it came down to it, and looking at the other ticket, the decision was easy.”
While candidates in the past may have found the position to be a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the future, Abhari was much more concerned about the student body. With the opportunity to move on to other endeavors, she opted to take on an unnecessary fifth year in order to make a difference at U of L.
“It was really a decision I made later on in the year – my senior year,” said Abhari. “I’m a fifth-year student. I was planning on graduating and moving on to the various internships I had applied for. But there was just certain issues that went on during my freshman year, sophomore year, junior year and senior year that I really kept in touch with.”
No stranger to student government, Abhari had been involved for a majority of her college career. While she was always excited about the goals and initiatives set forth by those administrations, she still had her own doubts and questions about the way certain issues were addressed. Her biggest concern was the fact that initiatives were not communicated to students. And she feared that students didn’t receive the support from student government that they deserved.
“I was a staff member under Rudy [Spencer] and there were things that I saw going on in the executive side,” said Abhari. “I made it a priority before, to go to as many Senate meetings as I could, as a student. And so I felt like my position was unique in that I had been in and out of SGA, both before, being a staff member, and after. That allowed me to think of ways to improve communication between SGA and students.”
As Abhari speaks, it becomes clear just why she is “the students’ candidate.” She seems like any other student on campus. She uses her position to extend a hand to students, not to reign over them. During the interview, she opted to sit at a conference table, instead of at the presidential desk with an oversized office chair and two computer monitors behind it. This was just another example of how she put herself on the same level as every other student.
At moments throughout the conversation she spoke about other issues plaguing the campus. Where some in her position may have strayed from answering such tough questions, Abhari welcomed the criticism and offered some of her own.
With her is an administration that is a mix of old and new faces – some who were with Abhari in her spring campaign and others who were opposite her on the slate. Each of them stands for the motto that Abhari based her campaign on: putting the student back in student government.
“When I came on, one of the things we discussed was how to reach students,” said Frizzell. “For us, the way we’ve been doing it is holding student forums, reaching out in ways that no one has ever reached out before. For instance, we have a Greek liaison, we have multicultural associates and we have commuter relations. These are people who are full-time staff and they go out and are responsible for getting in touch with these people who are usually disconnected from SGA.”
Though the school year is still in its starting stages, students recognize the efforts being put forth by Abhari and those in her administration. Their visibility during Welcome Weekend, as well as the opening week of school, garnered much praise from students. With pivotal issues starting to arise, the way in which SGA has involved the student body has been noticed by students across campus.
“Sana’s administration is doing a great job so far,” said Bates. “What students should see is that the reason this SGA will be so successful is because Sana has put together a great staff that supports her and all of SGA’s initiatives.”
But even with the initiatives being implemented and SGA giving students more opportunities to voice their opinions, there are those students who worry that the most important issues are out of the hands of Abhari and the SGA.
“I haven’t seen anything,” said Mason Edward Bryant, a senior mechanical engineering major. “As far as I know, she’s a good person. I don’t know how much influence she has on university policy though. When it boils down to it, [President James] Ramsey is the one who makes the decisions.”
One of the advantages of Abhari’s administration is that she truly believes in being a student first. She understands the importance of student life on campus and, in turn, continues to make students the main focus of every initiative set forth during her tenure. Student participation is first and foremost on her list of things to accomplish.
With student participation comes the need to increase voter turnout in the student government elections. In the past years, voter turnout has been extremely low. According to the SGA website, only 2,363 students voted in this past year’s election, down from the previous year’s total of 3,050. Abhari feels a need to increase that number dramatically.
“Voter participation ensures student participation in the future in the SGA initiatives,” said Abhari. “If a student goes out there to vote, they’re going to keep up with the candidates. They’re going to keep up with the elected members of SGA. They’re going to be looking for initiatives coming from the SGA offices, because they voted.”
With SGA as her top priority in her final year at U of L, the connections that Abhari is able to make with students will be key. Her approachable attitude and down-to-earth demeanor make her seem to be an ideal leader. Ultimately, her success as president will be measured in her ability to remain what she was when she first arrived at this university – a student.
