SG heads into new year with fresh ideas

Building school spirit and a sense of community are among the goals of incoming Student Government President Steve Shapiro and Vice President Jacqueline Biehl this year.

Steve Shapiro and Jacqueline Biehl

Shapiro and Biehl were elected Student Government president and vice president last spring along with senate and cabinet members.

Shapiro, a fourth-year information technology major, and Biehl, a fourth-year new media publishing major, say that RIT students are concerned with the social atmosphere on campus, financial matters and housing.

“Jackie and I have many initiatives for enriching all aspects of student life and together, with our cabinet, we will put those ideas into motion,” says Shapiro.

One of those initiatives is Student Activities Day on Sunday, Sept. 7. Planned as a huge picnic for incoming students, it will also showcase RIT’s variety of clubs, special interest houses, Greeks and sports teams, Biehl says.

Other issues, such as money and housing will also be looked at by Student Government this year to see what part students can play in addressing them, she adds.

Shapiro and Biehl ran for Student Government office to get more involved in RIT life themselves as well as help the community flourish. When they are not attending classes or co-ops or running things in Student Government, Biehl is involved in Zeta Tau Alpha and works part-time. Shapiro is the executive board treasurer of Phi Sigma Kappa, to whom he attributes much of his success at RIT, and enjoys reading, skydiving or getting into a healthy debate.