SGA officers prepared for challenges

Marissa Russo, president of the Student Government Assocation at Penn State New Kensington, is focused on improving the student experience at the campus.

President Marissa Russo advocates
improving the student experience

UPPER BURRELL, PA -- After a summer of leadership training, the new officers of the Student Government Association at Penn State New Kensington are prepared to implement their strategic plans for the 2015-2016 academic year.

The eclectic board features: senior information sciences and technology major Marissa Russo (Plum High School), president; senior electro-mechanical engineering technology major Cody Shoemaker (Kiski Area), vice president; sophomore meteorology major Adis Juklo (Fox Chapel), treasurer; sophomore computer engineering major Aarush Gupta, secretary; junior psychology major Bill Carney (Rogers Heritage), upperclassmen faculty senate representative; sophomore psychology major Jon McCabe (Burrell), underclassmen faculty senate representative; junior business management major Shannon Josefonski (Highlands) and junior business management major Shawna Fluhme (Plum), THON co-chairs. The SGA represents campus students by providing support and advocacy and helping them experience what the University has to offer.

“I’m very excited to work with this talented group of student leaders who have a strong desire to increase student engagement in their clubs and organizations,” said Theresa Bonk, director of student affairs. “They collaborate with campus leadership on matters that seek to improve the student experience at Penn State New Kensington.”

The students were appointed in May by a committee comprised of a majority of students, along with faculty and staff. The officers were selected via an interview process that asked about their past leadership experiences, as well as about their goals for the campus for the upcoming year. Once selected, the new officers received leadership training throughout the summer to improve their leadership skills and to develop networks to collaborate with fellow student governments across the Commonwealth campuses.

During the four-day Student Summer Leadership conference at Penn State Altoona, participants learned about meeting management, student activism, diversity, community building, and personal and professional goal setting. Juklo received additional training on the logistics of handling student organization fiscal accounts under the tutelage of the staff in Student Life.

Leadership training continues throughout the fall and spring semesters. Due to the enormity of the president’s role, including co-chairing both the Student Activity Fee and Student Facility Fee committees, Russo meets weekly with Bonk. In addition, the executive team attends six weekend meetings of the Commonwealth Council of Student Governments at Penn State University Park.

“All of these trainings and meetings support the students and provide them with a solid foundation of skills that will prepare them to succeed now and in the future as leaders,” Bonk said.

When she is not serving students as SGA president, Marissa Russo is serving Starbucks as a Junction Coffee Bar associate at the campus.

Marissa Russo
Russo already is comfortable in her role in the SGA, having served as vice president in the spring. A year ago she was an unlikely candidate for a student leadership position because she wasn’t even on campus. For the fall 2014 semester, the Plum Borough native spent the semester at the University of Limerick in Ireland. She enjoyed four months of fun and learning abroad as a part of the campus’ Global Programs initiative. The program provides students with a variety of opportunities to study in foreign lands for varying periods of time -- a week, summer, semester, or year. The objective is to offer students a broader education than can be obtained through classroom experiences.

Her vision for the SGA includes focusing on improving the student experience. Russo’s goals are tethered to Chancellor Kevin Snider’s goals in his new five-year strategic plan that was unveiled a year ago.

“We want students to be able to voice their opinions and expectations comfortably in an open forum, “said Russo, a recipient of a Elbert S. Howarth Scholarship. “We help to the best of our abilities to work with students on making change or achieving goals.”

Russo, who carries a 3.4 grade-point average, has been active on campus since she arrived 2012. She is a member of the Lion Ambassadors and Outdoor Adventure Club, two student organizations, and appeared in the student theatre production “Into the Woods.” She was the guest speaker at the Scholarship Reception, an annual event that gives students who receive New Kensington campus scholarships a chance to meet their professors and benefactors face to face. She talked about the importance of scholarships as a part of their college experiences. In addition, she has participated in numerous community service projects including Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and chairing the Senior Citizens Prom.

Russo can be reached at 724-334-6141 or mzr5330@psu.edu

Jonathan McCabe
McCabe views the campus differently since assuming a leadership role and the responsibilities that come with it. The Lower Burrell resident’s main goal is to overcome the challenges of New Kensington being a commuter campus and get more students involved in campus activities.

“I plan to make the campus more social,” said McCabe, who works in the campus’ Elizabeth S. Blissell library. “I want more people to be excited about joining clubs and being a part of Penn State New Kensington.”

In addition to his leadership skills, McCabe is an award-winning essayist. Last year, he earned the bronze award in the campus’ “This I Believe” contest. Students submitted 500-word stories that illustrated how their personal beliefs were shaped. The contest was based on the book of the same name, which featured a collection of 60 essays of insights from personal experiences.

“The Unknown Battles” was McCabe’s story of dealing with a mother dealing with bipolar schizophrenia. When he was an adolescent, her public episodes embarrassed him. As he grew older, he began to understand that she had no control over these outbursts. Today, he stands proud with her as her emotions engulf her, and she fights unknown battles in her head.

“I learned to not be judgmental towards anyone I meet because they could be facing their own unknown battles too," wrote McCabe, a recipient of the campus' Dr. N.A. Kopelman and Freda D. Kopelman Trustee scholarship. "I learned to smile at people who come into my work and look like they are having a bad day. Even if they act grouchy towards me, I just think back towards my mother and how she cannot control her emotions. They could be going through a rough time as well.”

McCabe can be reached at 724-334-6141 or jpm5762@psu.edu

Bill Carney
Carney is another holdover from last year’s SGA board, where he served as underclassmen faculty senate representative. He joined the SGA to get more involved with the campus and to have an impact on students’ college experience. He was nervous about the interview process but put his desire to help the student body before any doubts.

“Honestly, I just want to do whatever I can to make a difference in the inner workings of student life,” said Carney, who commutes from his home in Apollo.

Carney pays tuition through scholarships and grants. He earned both a Chancellor’s Award and a Provost Scholarship.

After he receives his bachelor’s degree in 2017, Carney plans to continue his education in graduate school. His career goal is to become a therapist and to do research.

His decision to attend Penn State New Kensington to fulfill his degree requirements was based on the campus’ unique situation in the Penn State system. Its small classes and the 25:1 student-faculty ratio provide opportunities to forge bonds with faculty and fellow students.

“I love the class sizes because it makes it easier to connect with professors and students,” said Carney. “I am glad I not only am making some new friends but connecting with old ones. I am excited to be part of Penn State University's proud history.”

Carney can be reached at 724-334-6141 or wvc5168@psu.edu

For more about the SGA, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/StudentLife/sga.htm

SGA secretary Aarush Gupta at work in the SGA office, which is located in Café 780.

Penn State New Kensington
Student Government Association 2015-16

President – Marissa Russo, Plum Borough, Pa. (Plum High School), senior, Information Sciences and Technology

Vice President – Cody Shoemaker, Vandergrift, Pa. (Kiski Area), senior, Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology
Treasurer – Adis Juklo, Pittsburgh (Fox Chapel), sophomore, Meteorology
Secretary – Aarush Gupta, Cheswick, Pa., sophomore, Computer Engineering
Upperclassmen Faculty Senate Representative – Bill Carney, Apollo, Pa. (Apollo-Ridge), sophomore, Psychology
Underclassmen Faculty Senate Representative – Jonathan McCabe, Lower Burrell, Pa. (Burrell), sophomore, Psychology
THON Co-chairs – Shannon Josefoski, Natrona Heights, Pa. (Highlands), junior, Business Management;
Shawna Fluhme, Plum Borough (plum), junior Business management

SGA Flashback
2003-04

Front row; Katrina Parks, Ashley Rusnock, Jennifer Schriver, Julie Flaherty
Back row: Danielle DeStefano, Jackie Jaszczak, Ray Mastre