With the end of an academic year comes the induction of a new Student Senate, and the announcement of a new student body president. 

Rising senior Chris Costa is ready to take on that role in the fall. 

Costa joined Student Senate during the first semester of his freshman year, and has been involved with the organization ever since. He was involved with student government in high school and was eager to get involved with a similar organization at the university level.

“I wanted to make a positive impact at Roger and I feel like Senate was something where I could do that,” Costa said. 

When it comes to keeping the peace among the group, Costa already has a wealth of experience. This year, he served as the Senate’s parliamentarian, one of the five executive board positions in the group. He was in charge of handling motions and counting votes, as well as making sure meetings followed parliamentary procedure.

Carol Sacchetti, director of student programs and leadership, said that she is looking forward to working with Costa and attested to his comprehension of different facets of the organization.

“I’m very excited to work with Chris Costa as our incoming student body president, as someone who has been on Senate in a variety of roles for the last three years,” Sacchetti said. “His breadth of knowledge and experience will be a great thing to lead the Student Senate during the next academic year.”

In preparation for the role of president, Costa has already developed goals for the Senate next year. One of these priorities is to continue the positive working relationship that Senate has with the administration. Another goal of his is to truly advocate for all RWU students.

“I want to have Senate be an org where students feel confident bringing their issues to us,” Costa said. “Whether it be an issue inside the classroom or in the residence halls, I want Senate to be an outlet for students who have problems with something on this campus.”

Current Student Body President, senior Kayla Devin, spoke to Costa’s abilities to effectively take charge of the Senate next year.

“One of the greatest tasks for the Student Body President, that’s inherent to the role, but not explicitly outlined within Senate’s Bylaws, is the ability to communicate. Communication with students, faculty, staff and administration is of paramount importance when maintaining positive relationships with these campus constituencies,” Devin said. “I see this as one of Chris’s strengths and I believe that he will be skilled at translating Senate’s mission across these groups next year.”