Yasmen Hassen didn’t even know about the Student Government Association (SGA) when she came to UMKC. Now she’s the president.
Hassen expressed her excitement to take on this new position after an election period that drew more than 1,800 student votes.
While others might shy away from the increased attention, Hassen said she welcomes it. Increasing visibility of the SGA board is one of her main goals.
“My first year, I didn’t even know what SGA was, or that we even had a student government of some sort here at UMKC,” said Hassen. “The more students that are informed and engaged in student government, the more work that can be done.”
According to Hassen, the voter turnout was the highest in UMKC history.
Hassen’s experience in student leadership goes back to her time filling in as a Bloch senator during her freshman year and SGA press secretary the following year. She joined SGA after being a part of Roo Red, an initiative that sought to provide free menstrual products on campus for students.
“One thing to note is that everyone on our board has either senate or executive experience,” said Hassen. “That was the biggest upper edge for our executive board. We just hit the ground running this year.”
SGA Vice President Scott Nguyen, a junior chemistry major, previously served as the SGA internal affairs director. He recognized the challenges the previous SGA board faced with having mostly new board members.
He said in the previous years, it took some time for them to get used to the process before they could get the ball rolling.
“The issue was, you’ve only got so much time, and eventually it’s going to run out,” Nguyen said. “That’s when Yasmen and I came in. Former press secretary and former internal affairs director. We know what the past board wanted to do. We’re ready to expand on that, and we’ve got our own ideas.”
Hassen and Nguyen are especially passionate about addressing student housing issues as well as the recurring parking problems students face on campus. Hassen wants to push for more housing possibilities as the Kansas City streetcar plans to extend to UMKC in 2025.
“We claim that we’re Kansas City’s university, but how are we actually moving to achieve that,” said Hassen. “This year, I think it’s just about having those conversations and seeing whether this goal is something that can be achieved in the next three, five, 10 years.”
Hassen and Nguyen believe they serve as liaisons that bridge the gap between the student body and higher administration. Hassen plans on opening more spaces where students have the platform to voice their concerns or share their thoughts.
“We’re sitting at the table as students, telling them [administration] what students want and what students need,” said Hassen. “Does that necessarily mean that it will happen all the time? No, but we’re there to push that and bring a voice to the table.”
