Student Association elected Thomas Metiva as its new president Thursday, April 2.
Metiva, a biology sophomore, previously served as a representative and the campus events director. He said he had been thinking about running for SA president for a while before he made the decision.
“…When Hunter Koch, the previous president, told me he would not be running for re-election, I made up my mind that I would run,” Metiva said.
Along with 16 new representatives, Metiva ran unopposed amid circumstances he attributed to the current pandemic.
“The election process was a bit weird this year given the current circumstances, but overall I think it went well,” he said. “I didn’t run against another candidate, which made the process a bit easier, but there also wasn’t a debate or as much participation in the voting process this year compared to last year.”
His biggest priority moving forward is to encourage passion to serve, Metiva said.
“I hope to create a passion to serve within the Association,” he said. “Above all, our mission is to support the student body and advocate for their success, and I hope to instill this passion.”
Metiva’s other goals for his term concern cross-campus collaboration and student success.
“One of my goals is to work with faculty and the Association to increase collaboration among all groups on campus, as well as to work toward creating a universal events calendar for sporting events, RSOs and philanthropy,” he said. “At the same time, I want to enhance student opportunity by creating initiatives that aid student success. We’re here to serve the student body, and I want to make the Association more accessible for them.”
He said he was very excited to take on new experiences within the Association with the upcoming year.
“I am very thankful for this new opportunity, and I can’t wait to get started with the new year,” he said.
Koch, the Association’s president for the 2019-2020 academic year, said Metiva was a great fit for the position.
“Not only does (Metiva) have the skills that are generally necessary to be an efficient president, but he has also been a critical figure in my administration this year,” Koch said. “This creates an unprecedented amount of continuity between this year and next, which will set him up well to run forward.”
Koch added that, because they knew Metiva would run unopposed, they have been working together on the transition.
“The one thing that I always tell people who succeed me, regardless of what capacity it is, is to be bold and stay busy,” he said. “Secondly, work for the whole, not just those who it is expedient to work for.”
He expressed gratitude for the SVSU community and its support of Student Association.
“I am thankful for all the support across campus that my administration has had over the past year,” Koch said. “I am excited for the next year to work with Thomas and the rest of the Association to continue to build a better university for all and a stronger Association for the future.”
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