Student Government President Letter
Dear Centre College community,
It is my absolute honor to welcome you to the 2023-24 academic year! The beginning of the academic year is full of excitement and promise, and I am fortunate that entire Centre community gets to watch campus come alive together.
This year, like any other, will present its own special set of trials. Many of you will be entering your first year of college. Others of you may be transferring from a different institution. If you’re like me, perhaps you are navigating new roles and responsibilities. Whatever the circumstance, I want to remind you that you are here not only because you saw something valuable in Centre, but that they saw something valuable in you.
Like many of you, I came to Centre to fulfill my academic drive - to engage with study abroad, delve into research, and sit in classes with world class professors. But, I’ll let you in on a little secret: it is the people that make the place. Whether it be the friendly “hello” in passing from a peer you have only met once, the warm laugh of a Cowan staff member, or an unexpected mentorship from a professor, Centre is a place where you will never truly be alone. Whether it be personal hardship or world-changing events, I have witnessed the special community here come together time and time again. There is nowhere quite like it.
As President of the Student Government Association, I have a vested interest in uplifting and upholding the values we as a community deem important. My job, at its core, is to be the voice of the student body. SGA is YOUR organization; it is wholly dedicated to making decisions that make campus better, safer, more sustainable, more equitable, more student-driven. In the past year, SGA has pushed for Title IX transparency, developed eco-friendly policies, and found ways to make resources more accessible to everyone. SGA will always be an available resource for the student body to turn to, and more than ever, we are committed to advocating for our peers and the changes the students here demand to see. We are one community, and we are all our neighbor’s keeper.
As each of us carve out our paths here, we owe it to one another to do so with inclusion and respect. Allow Centre to be the first home that you build and the place that gives you the tools to move the earth. And the place where you know the names and stories of your neighbors, too.
Centre has always been a place that felt like it belonged to me. I hope each of you come to find that it belongs to you just as much as it belongs to anyone else.
Again, SGA is a tool for you to directly make the change you want to see around you - rely on us, and the peers that represent you, to make incredible things happen.
Welcome home!
Hailey Finch
Student Government Association President