Hello Illinois Tech, hope all is well! With finals coming around the corner, The Student Government Association (SGA) wishes you all the best of luck! As announced last week, elections took place, and a new board has been voted into office. More information after this article. On April 15, SGA held its final meeting in the MTCC Ballroom.
Before the meeting, the Executive Board invited several Illinois Tech Alumni who attended the Senate Meetings, including Bob Hoel, George Mui, Louis Hureston, Abhishek Gundugurti, and Timi ‘O Akindele.
Before the meeting, all SGA members were able to converse, connect with, and learn from them when they were students during their time at Illinois Tech. I was even able to reconnect with Bob Hoel and George Mui, who were the first alumni that I met all the way back when I was a prospective student and, if it weren’t for my discussion with them, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
Shortly after, Executive Vice President (EVP), Erick Armando Silva Jr., called the senate to begin the meeting, which started at 6:36 p.m., with no new business, leading straight into the President’s report.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
President, Yailine Cano, reported on the Finance Board:
Currently, the Finance Board is undergoing interviews for new potential Finance Board Advisors.
With a new semester coming to a close, the Finance Board has prepared a report highlighting how much was allocated per category. For the Spring 2026 semester, 123 student organizations requested and received funding, with the total allocation being $773,173 overall. To view the breakdown of spending, please visit SGA’s page on 312.
Additionally, Finance Board leadership is looking into opening up Finance Board Training to org leaders; previously, this was only attended by FB Advisors, allowing org leaders to spectate and learn how the allocation process works alongside our advisors.
Just a reminder that the last day of spending is May 31 and will resume once classes are back in session for the upcoming fall semester.
The floor was also opened to Ashley Argon, Senior Director of Constituent Engagement, to speak on Illinois Tech Connect. This is an app that helps connect current students with Alumni, which allows for experience and career advice to be shared, as well as an opportunity to network.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT REPORT:
Silva Jr., announced that the Executive Board is communicating closely with Dean of Students, Katherine Stetz, to work towards the newly voted in, Academic Affairs Resolutions, such as the Add/Drop Course Deadline Extension and the Curriculum Course Catalogue, which you can find more information on in the last Senate Update on The TechNews’s website.
Silva Jr. then brought Chief of Staff, Charlie Janisch, to the podium to update the senate on the Mobile ID initiative, allowing students to have their Hawk ID on their phones via Google, Samsung, or Apple wallet for easier access to tap into buildings, dorms, commons, etc.
Janisch stated that due to the heavy student advocacy for mobile ID, and thanks to the students’ great support for this initiative via petition, resulting in almost 800 signatures, SGA’s current board was able to achieve a seemingly massive win. The executive board had a meeting with the Vice President of Enrollment and Student Affairs, Mallik Sundharam, where they were able to present the initiative as well as the petition of signatures of approval. Afterwards, Sundharam signified great approval and appreciation for the commitment toward this initiative, which he then agreed to work towards signing a contract that would progress into the implementation of students’ Hawk ID on their phones, which would ultimately be active by the Fall of 2026. Janisch stated that he will work alongside the executive board to continue to follow up with the VP of Enrollment and Student Affairs to ensure that this initiative is fulfilled.
CHIEF OF JUSTICE REPORT:
Silva Jr. announced on behalf of the Chief of Justice, Jaime Bernardino, that budget appeals from student organizations have been reviewed and will proceed to hearings, which he claims shall be finished by the time this article is published.
ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT:
Vice President of Engagement, Harold Ho, announced that the Engagement committee is finalising plans to collaborate with local Chicago food spot, Tso Good. Tso Good is a restaurant located at 843 1/2 W. Belmont Ave, where they serve a variety of chicken sandwiches, burgers, and many more items. This collaboration will result in a date when students can visit the store, present their Hawk ID, and receive a free sandwich or burger, with vegetarian options included. More about this collaboration can be followed up on SGA’s Instagram: @iit.sga.
Ho also announced that SGA, WIIT, and the Union board have collaborated to host Illinois Tech’s second Spring Concert, which is being held on April 24 in Herman Hall. Students can attend this concert completely free, watching artists such as Tommy Oeffling + band as the opener and Saint Motel as the headliner. Tickets can be purchased at no cost at Illinois Tech’s 312.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT:
Vice President-Elect of the Academic Affairs Committee, Delwin Manjani, announced once again that their committee is continuing communication with the University to work towards active implementation of the previous resolutions that were mentioned in Silva Jr.’s EVP report.
Manjani also announced the potential partnership with Illinois Tech’s Elevate program to improve student awareness and communicated students’ feedback on the program. Elevate was a program designed to help students get work experience in the field they are studying, to help students set up students with a career after graduation.
Manjani lastly announced that the committee intends to reach out to the Humanities and Social Sciences departments on the issue of renumbering courses to discover if this course of action is really in the best interests of the students.
RESEARCH AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT:
Vice President of Research Affairs Committee, Gabriela Escobedo announced that this year’s annual Spring Research banquet is taking place on April 23 at 5 p.m. in Hermann Hall. This Banquet will allow students who are in the field of research or take an interest in research to connect with professionals who have conducted research of their own. Students will also be able to hear a lineup of speakers regarding their work.
STUDENT LIFE COMMITTEE REPORT:
Vice President of Student Life Committee, Fatimah Amer, introduced two more student organizations to be voted on for approval, these student orgs being Scarlet Security Labs and SEAOI. Scarlet Security Labs focuses on cybersecurity and ways students can learn more about computer science and coding. Senators were concerned about the approval of this org due to the repetitive mission that a current student org already aims to achieve. SEAOI is a chapter that builds a strong pipeline between IIT and the structural engineering industry, which allows students to be better prepared and confident in the industry while also creating a lasting relationship with firms and industry leaders. The senate was unsure of the specifics of this organization and what it can exactly contribute to students, with a lack of knowledge of what kind of events/programs this organization will provide. After 7 minutes of discussion, Silva Jr. gave senators 2 minutes of statements regarding the organizations they are about to vote on, with all statements mentioning the overlapping mission with Scarlet Security Labs and the lack of information about SEAOI. Afterwards, the senate held a vote with results to be announced soon, concluding the Student Life Committee report.
SENATOR REPORT:
Senator Julian Loughney proposed a draft of a bill to the Senate that will block corporate interest and AI corporations from breaching IIT’s student orgs. This draft was proposed due to the rejected student org, Claude Builder Club, after the discovery that the proposed president of the org was an ambassador of Anthropic, leaving senators concerned about a “marketing scheme” to increase the number of users of their products. Several senators had approval for this proposed bill, but unanimously agreed that this draft needs more fine-tuning before being brought to the floor for a vote.
SENATOR/SGA SPOTLIGHT:
Cano and Silva Jr. have shared with the audience in attendance that this year has been a year full of progress, enthusiasm, and ambition, all thanks to the senators who made it happen with their strive to make Illinois Tech a better university for the students’ day-to-day lives inside and outside of the classroom. Throughout the year, the executive board opened nominations for students and members of SGA to nominate a member who believes they deserve recognition for their effort in SGA and the overall character and energy they bring to campus. Cano and Silva Jr. presented awards to senators, finance board members and to former Executive Vice President, Derrick Hill, who has been involved in SGA since his first year at IIT and also has been a key figure in helping the current exec board into a smooth and successful transition with guidance and mentorship that ultimately led to a significantly productive and positive year for SGA. Thank you to all the members of SGA from the Exec. Board, The Senate, The Finance Board, Judicial Board, and all who have played a role in SGA this year. The work is and will never be done as SGA Senators’ terms don’t end until the Fall of 2026, where many are intending to work over the summer to better Student Life at IIT. Congratulations, Hill, on graduation, and congratulations to the following who received recognition for their hard work:
Derrick Hill – Former EVP – B.S./M.E. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering 26’
Ashlee Zuniga Mena – FB Advisor – B.S. Finance 29’
Deborah Emeordi – Finance Board Advisor – M.S. Finance
Edwin “Joao” Huallpa – Sr. Finance Board Advisor – B.S. IT 27’
Tengis Munkhbat – VP Research Affairs-Elect – Biomedical Engineering 29’
Nikunj Menghani – Senator – 29′
Bo “Bobo” Phone Myat Ko – Senator – 29′
Abdiel Ovalle – Senator – B.Arch 29’
Syed Qadri – VP Student Life-Elect – 29′
A CLOSING NOTE FROM THE LIAISON TO THE PRESS
After the presentation of awards, there were no comments during the open floor. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m., concluding SGA’s last senate meeting of the year.
While the work is still to be continued, we would like to thank the students, faculty, and administration of Illinois Tech for your collaboration and help throughout the year. Without you, SGA is unable to conduct the work we do in service of the student body, advocating for your needs, amplifying your voices, and building a stronger, connected campus community. Your engagement and support make our efforts meaningful, and we look forward to continuing this work together in the year ahead.
We would also like to extend our appreciation to TechNews for their partnership this year by publishing our Senate updates and supporting the Executive Election Debates this year. Rebuilding this relationship, especially considering challenges in previous years, represents an important step towards a unified and collaborative campus. Strengthening connections between student organizations like SGA and TechNews helps foster transparency, trust, and shared purpose, all of which are essential to a more engaged and united university such as Illinois Tech. We hope this progress continues well beyond our time here.
Lastly, I would like to thank SGA for the opportunity to serve as Liaison to the Press, helping bridge communication with the student body and promote a level of transparency that has been needed for years. I also want to thank Editor in Chief Elio Armas Rojo and the TechNews team for their guidance and mentorship—your support is greatly appreciated.