Election Coverage: Kristina Miele ’19, Candidate for SGA President

Name: Kristina Miele

Major: Mathematics, Minoring in Modeling and Data

Hometown: Reading, Massachusetts

Trinity Tripod: What previous experiences have you had within SGA? What projects have you been a critical part of?

Kristina Miele: I have served as a senator and class president as well as the Vice President of Communications my sophomore year. I have been very close with all three of the past SGA presidents, and took part in a project to restructure the SGA e-board while I served as Vice President of Communications. That year, I worked with three seniors and learned a lot from them. While in that position, I organized Senator Sundays, a series of Instagram posts which introduced SGA members to the community and updated the website and Facebook page. We really wanted to let people know what SGA does, what we do, and how we are a resource for them.This year, I have worked with Emily Claytor (current SGA president) on the office hours initiative. I have also served on the Transportation Committee, New Student Orientation Committee, and an ad hoc Diversity Committee, to address how students respond to hate crimes, on both a campus and national level. We are planning to put something together by the end of the semester to clarify what standards students are held accountable to. I have also worked with Chartwells to plan a survey for students to fill out and explain their problems with the current meal plan.

TT: What experiences outside SGA have shaped your time at Trinity and your ability to lead?

KM: Outside of SGA, I am one of the founders of the Stella Society. I also served as president for a year and a half, but have recently stepped back from the position to focus on SGA. It is one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had at Trinity, and was an effective way to break down the gender gap in Greek Life, and break stereotypes of Greek Life. The Stella Society is planning different events with organizations on campus, including the Multicultural Affairs Council (MAC) to plan a collaborative event. I was recently chosen to be a Student Admissions Associate (SAA) for next year. I  have also served as a mentor and coordinator for the Jones-Zimmerman Academic Mentoring. I work with the adult coordinators to plan different events for the organization and also mentor a seventh grade boy.

TT: What would you seek to accomplish in this position?

KM: One of my initiatives is to increase transparency between students and the administration. We are hoping to constantly hear feedback from students, by holding weekly office hours and more widely advertising the ability to send emails to the SGA president and utilize the suggestion box on our website. Students should be able to know that they can bring any concerns to us, and that we will bring these concerns to the administration. We want to get SGA members into as many meetings and panels as possible. I am also working to improve the meal plan structure and quality of food. This is an issue that affects so many students at Trinity, and we need to put the heat on the administration to fix its issues. We want to constantly get student input on this issue, by sending out surveys for feedback. Additionally, I am planning to improve on-campus facilities such as bathrooms, ventilation, and the gym. As a more abstract initiative, we must make students voices heard, and there are a lot of solid ways to make progress with this issue.

TT: What parts of your electoral platform and/or personality sets you apart from your opponents?

KM: My experience in SGA and on the e-board has allowed me to create great relationships with many SGA members. Because I have been involved with SGA since my freshman year, I have been able to observe what has worked well and what hasn’t. I also have several concrete initiatives and actions, because students need to see real change happening, not a discussion of abstract ideas.

TT: If you can only accomplish one of your objectives, which one would you choose and why?

KM: The most important objective to me is transparency with the administration. I want to make sure student voices are heard. Even though this is an abstract idea, it is extremely important and something all students are affected by. This is something that we can definitely accomplish and will better the community as a result.