Penn College's Student Government Association has issued a midsemester "highlight reel," detailing its advocacy for students across campus during the challenging year to date.
Among topics in the wide-ranging compendium by SGA President Ethan M. McKenzie are the appointment of senators and officers at the start of the 2020-21 academic year, the establishment of new committees (and reactivation of dormant ones) to address student issues, connection with college departments through town-hall meetings and other outreach, and recognition of students' compliance in the face of COVID-19.
"Like you, we have watched – sometimes with anguish – as the year we anticipated vanished before us. In this half-semester, we have had to modify or dispense with plans we'd long looked forward to. It has been a lot to swallow and the losses sometimes feel insurmountable," McKenzie wrote. "And yet you persist. Week by week, you mask up in order to remain hands on; with vigor, you continually adapt to the shifting landscape. Despite immense uncertainty, you continue doing what is necessary to protect your peers and preserve this hands-on education we all value so dearly."
"You make us proud to call ourselves your representatives," the report concludes. "We are deeply grateful for your enduring commitment to doing what is right."