By Michael Walsh

While the CCSU Student Government Association has seen its fair share of headline-worthy news the last two semesters, perhaps none of it was more shocking than the seemingly abrupt resignation of President Matt Vekakis.

SGA’s recent laundry list of news is almost hard to believe: resignations of its president and vice president, questions of ethics, budget concerns, challenged constitution and by-law interpretations and portions of meetings that would not be paired with the word professional.

And while the questionable has absolutely been weighted with some good, the SGA’s loss of its president puts a major exclamation point on the 2010-11 student government year that in our newsroom has been known for its ups and down.

Sitting down with Vekakis last October, I would never have predicted his early departure. His eager desire to change SGA and CCSU for the better left an impact on me. Two semesters is far too little time for any one busy person or organization to make drastic changes to a student body, university or community. Still, Vekakis had ideas of SGA financial self-sustainability and was aware of the importance of Governor Dannel Malloy’s budget announcement. Because of this, I won’t question his unexplained personal reasons for deciding to step down. The student government seemed too important to this one individual to say goodbye for no reason and the senate is certainly a less motivated being without him.

SGA and this entire student body is now at a pivotal point and you should care. Elizabeth Braun, interim vice president for all of two weeks, might become president. The lines are unclear because of her interim status, but if the by-laws hold true, Braun should enter the seat of president Wednesday. Otherwise, a special election could happen. Either way, a very new president will be serving our student body for the remainder of this semester and it might impact the very important presidential race for next semester.

As usual, elections for next year’s SGA president will take place this spring. Students should take note as the student government rides out these final few months of service. Experience in the form of a new president and vice president will come into play when those who want to declare their run for president do so. The Recorder has already exhausted talk about how much money SGA handles (it’s nearly $700,000, in case you were still wondering), but it doesn’t make it any less important when electing a new leader. While it seems like a comfortable amount of money, it was proven last semester that it can disappear much quicker than you think. A strong, dependable leader is needed to oversee all these funds and the rest of SGA’s actions.

I’ve already urged students to take the time out of their Wednesday’s and attend a student government meeting if possible. It’s now even more important to show outsider interest in the group. Had these headlines been about a larger, more widely-known group, the news would be national. It’s not, but this is our level. It’s the students’ business. We are the checks and balances, no one else. I cannot stress enough the importance of paying attention to what happens within SGA in the next couple of weeks. CCSU’s two student-elected SGA leaders from last spring have now both resigned and internally selected leaders could be the ones to replace them.

No matter what happens, SGA is fortunately made up of mostly capable and energetic CCSU students looking to make a change at the campus or community level. Even though the last two semesters have been highlighted by questions of judgment, the student body is in good hands with the senate currently in place. They are goodwilled and for all I know, the majority of the senators aren’t there for the title or resume booster.

Bottom line: the resignation of Vekakis, who was always appreciative of The Recorder’s positive and negative coverage of the SGA, leaves a bigger hole in the student government than you might think. Heads up CCSU students, SGA 2011 is about to get interesting.