With the spring 2026 semester now underway, the Student Government Association (SGA) is reflecting on a fall semester marked by transition and progress.
I’m Kyle Ochotorena, a senator for Illinois Institute of Technology’s Student Government Association and liaison to the press. Throughout the semester, I will be sharing updates and announcements from SGA Senate meetings every other Wednesday. However, before diving into SGA’s first Senate meeting of the spring on Jan 21, 2026, it is important to look back at the accomplishments and milestones of the fall 2025 semester under the new administration.
Before digging in, I’d like to provide context to truly highlight the new SGA in action. SGA developed a reputation for doing very little. Over the years, administrations lost their presence as a student government, becoming disconnected from students and losing trust across campus. Leadership was often absent, with some Senators unsure who the President even was for much of the year. Voting was conducted informally through Google Forms, Senators would attend only a handful of meetings, and communication with students eventually became nonexistent. Whenever SGA was mentioned, it was often met with eye rolls rather than engagement. Trust dwindled, involvement faded, and the question, “What does SGA even do?” no longer had an answer. However, a new set of students saw this declining organization and stepped up to make a true change on campus- starting with reshaping and building back to what SGA is supposed to be.
In April 2025, during the spring election cycle leading into the fall semester, Illinois Tech students elected President Yailine Cano and Executive Vice President Erick Armando Silva Jr. The new administration has worked tirelessly alongside former Executive Assistant and current Chief of Staff Charlie Janisch to establish a renewed SGA focused on transparency and active student representation.
During the fall 2025 semester, 26 senators were elected, representing all five colleges, all class years, and DEI positions. As Senate operations fall under the responsibilities of the Executive Vice President, Silva Jr. spearheaded efforts to establish a more active and functional Senate by providing resources and guidance on how Senators can effectively serve as voices for their peers.
In previous years, Senate operations lacked structure, limiting Senators’ ability to work to their full potential. The new administration identified this issue as an area requiring reform. Janisch introduced voting records that are now accessible to all students to ensure transparency in Senate decisions. These records, along with all SGA bills, can be accessed by emailing at sga@illinoistech.edu. Janisch and Senators Ten Munkhbat, Syed Qadri, and Harold Ho are currently working to publish these records on the SGA website as part of their spring 2026 semester goals.
The administration also introduced Standard Operating Procedures, a collection of documents designed to restore consistency and professionalism to SGA operations. These procedures outline processes that were lost during past leadership transitions and are intended to ensure smoother transitions for Vice Presidents and Senators in the event of vacancies within the Senate or Executive Board.
In addition to restoring internal operations, Cano reestablished the Judicial Branch and appointed Jaime Bernardino as Chief Justice of the Judicial Board. The board upholds the Illinois Tech SGA Constitution and university policies and serves as a resource for students who believe their organization budget requests have been handled unfairly, as well as for Senators and others within SGA who feel they have been treated unjustly. The Judicial Board conducts hearings on these matters to provide a formal process that ensures fairness and accountability. This reaffirms that the Executive Board upholds the responsibility of its office fully.
Cano also reintroduced a program known as “Hawkeyes.” To develop future SGA leaders by giving students from all leadership backgrounds the opportunity to learn, grow, and gain a strong understanding of SGA operations in preparation for executive roles, reviving an initiative that has not existed since 2002. Cano has also represented SGA on the University’s Community Engagement Committee, offering student perspectives to help inform University leadership decisions. Cano uses this opportunity to ensure students’ perspectives are actually being taken into account.
To improve efficiency within the Finance Board, the Senate proposed and passed the SGA Restructure Amendment during the summer of 2025. The amendment refined the responsibilities of executive members of the Finance Board and combined the roles of President and Finance Board chair. As a result, the President oversees the allocation process to ensure fairness and efficiency for student organizations but does not hold voting power within the Finance Board.
The amendment also updated eligibility requirements for presidential candidates, requiring individuals to have previously held an SGA position before running. This requirement aligns with existing eligibility standards for candidates for Executive Vice President, Vice President of Engagement, and Vice President of Student Life. Following these changes, the Finance Board allocated funds to student organizations in fall 2025 within a record-breaking one week of budget submission.
Senate meetings were held biweekly during the fall 2025 semester and were conducted democratically with strict adherence to rules of order and decorum. During these meetings, Senate members proposed five amendments focused on reforming SGA and laying the groundwork for tangible improvements to student life. These included the Student Belonging Amendment, which failed 2–24; the Executive Attendance Amendment, which passed 27–0; the DEI and Campus Life Committee Union, which failed 2–22; the Vacancy Management Amendment, which passed 19–0; and the Office Expansion Proposal, which passed 19–0.
In previous Senate cycles, SGA lacked a formal attendance policy, contributing to declining Senator participation and concerns about student representation. In response, SGA implemented a strict attendance policy using a “three strikes and you’re out” rule. The Executive Attendance Amendment extended these requirements to the Executive Board for both Senate and executive meetings.
Finally, SGA has made efforts to reinforce campus community and life through events. They have worked closely with several student organizations to deliver eleven events for students. This includes Study Nights, which were hosted five times throughout the semester in the library for a relaxed study environment around traditionally stressful midterms/final exam periods. They also hosted a couple of Social Hour events in the BOG, focused on helping commuters and students connect with their peers and make friends along the way. SGA has also hosted the first-ever “Org Leader Summit”, designed for student orgs. leaders to take on a training session with the Office of Student Life (OSL), filled with networking, training, and lessons on being a leader for Illinois Tech. In addition, they had cultural events such as Bajo La Misma Luna and a Día De Los Muertos Ofrenda, ensuring that Illinois Tech continues to celebrate the many different cultures of our beautifully diverse campus.
And that’s a wrap! Our SGA has made a strong effort and accomplished many things this past semester, but the work is never done. If you have questions, concerns, or issues you want answers or solutions to, we openly ask you to reach out to talk to your senators, members of the Executive Board, or email us at sga@illinoistech.edu. We will continue to be your voice and advocate for the issues that matter most to you.