After a week of voting in late March, students chose Mason Jakober—a first-year political science major—as the next president of the Student Government Association. He’s entering the role with a clear priority: reshaping how student voices are heard at Norwich University.
Previously having served on the Board of Education in his hometown of Clinton, Connecticut, representing over 1,500 students in the region, Jakober’s service to his academic community and his standing interest in advocacy are what he believes will shape his leadership approach for his term as Student Government President.
“What student government is supposed to do is represent the beliefs and values of the students at the administrative level,” Jakober said. However, he also stated that the current system of collaboration is falling short in representing the beliefs and values of students.
To combat this issue, one of Jakober’s first goals in his new position is to redesign the Student Government Association’s internal structure so it can better gather and present student concerns. He believes that “we [the SGA] have to start at the foundation” and that “we have to make a student government that can actually articulate the concerns of the students.”
Another goal of his involves pushing for more student presence on key university bodies, ranging from meetings with senior leadership to advisory roles connected to larger decision-making processes. “It’s not about having the voting status,” Jakober explained. “It’s about being there to give our perspective.”
His third priority—communication—depends on the success of the first two. Jakober emphasized that better outreach will be critical, including the creation of a public affairs team to manage messaging and student engagement.
“[The student body needs to] really buy into the idea of student representation and having a seat at the decision-making table because we pay a lot of money to go here—and if we’re on scholarship, we worked very hard to get the money that pays us to go here”, said Jakober.
Another key challenge, he noted, is translating student concerns into actionable feedback. While platforms like Yik Yak often reflect student frustration, administrators cannot act on vague or unstructured complaints.
“Student government’s main job is to articulate the issues that the student body has… and bring that to the administration in a way where they can actually act on it,” Jakober said.
To better understand student concerns, Jakober plans to emphasize direct, face-to-face engagement. He described an approach where SGA representatives actively speak with students in places like dining halls to gather real-time feedback.
Additionally, Jakober made a point to acknowledge the limits of representation in a collegiate environment. “There are cases where it’s not necessarily possible to get everyone’s opinion all at once,” he said. In those moments, he explained, elected leaders must synthesize feedback and act on behalf of the broader student body.
At the center of Jakober’s plan is to create a new SGA constitution, which will redefine how the organization operates. The constitution of the SGA serves as the guideline of principles, rules, and framework of the SGA, which Jakober emphasized needed some changes. These proposed changes include reducing the number of senators in favor of “quality over quantity,” clarifying responsibilities, and creating specialized committees focused on specific policy areas.
While advocating for reform, Jakober expressed appreciation for the previous SGA administration, crediting them with laying the groundwork for future improvements.
Ultimately, what Jakober’s vision depends on is student participation. He encouraged students to stay informed, engage with SGA communications, and voice their concerns.
His final message to the student body for the ‘25-26 school year— “Be on top of the communications, reach out, be involved…and really push for change where you need it.”
SGA meetings are to resume in Fall 2026 and will be held weekly on Mondays in the Todd Multipurpose Room at 1800.
