On Thursday, Sept. 28, students celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Student Government Organization at Arcadia University as Michael Johnson Jr. ’24, Tancil Martin ’24, Kat Tappen ’25, Noel Gonzalez Jr. ’25, and Zyah Fall ’26 were sworn into their positions as officers on the executive board. Other students were sworn in as senators to represent various offices on campus.

Johnson will serve as President of SGO, Martin as Vice-President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Tappen as Treasurer. Gonzalez and Fall were both selected as members of the cabinet, serving as Secretary of University Administration and Finance and Secretary of Student affairs, respectively.

This annual tradition kicks off each fall semester, marking the beginning of a new legislative session for SGO. This year, however, the board is planning to roll out a new institutional order for the organization.

“Over the summer, the board (Johnson, Tappen, and Martin) worked tirelessly to draft a new SGO constitution,” said Johnson. “We wanted to vividly outline the new positions and procedures that will make SGO a more effective governmental entity going forward.”

The Honorable Christopher Cerski, JD, dressed in his magistrate attire, led the swearing-in of the senators. After each senator pledged to fulfill their duties in their respective roles to the best of their abilities, attention was shifted to the executive board. Judge Cerski swore in the members of the board individually, beginning with Tappen, then moving to Martin, and finishing the ceremony with Johnson. Photos were taken between each to commemorate this moment in Arcadia’s SGO history. 

“So much was going through my mind as I recited the oath,” said Johnson. “I was thinking about the responsibilities of the office I was officially about to enter, and the legacy I hope to have years after I leave the Presidency and Arcadia in general, and then also realizing that the work that I and my board had done over the summer was coming into fruition.”