Ben Franzone ‘26 & Jackie Bazazi ‘26
Guest Writers
Hey Holy Cross, it’s Ben Franzone and Jackie Bazazi! Maybe you’ve seen our posters around campus, follow us on Instagram, or we’ve had a class together. Perhaps we’ve never met, but regardless, we wanted to take a minute to reach out directly to you and introduce ourselves. We know the election process requires difficult decisions, but we wanted to offer you a glimpse into why we are running, a little bit about us, and share why we think we are best suited to lead SGA.
Hi everyone, it’s Ben! Looking back on my first year at Holy Cross, I hardly knew what the SGA did, let alone how it impacted me as a student. People always ask “What does SGA even do?” — a perfectly reasonable question, that I also wondered for some time when I came to Holy Cross. Well, in short, the SGA works to improve the student experience, advocate for you and your classmates, and discern meaningful ways to positively impact the Holy Cross community. But we also do so much more.
When I first decided to run for the SGA Senate, at the end of my freshman year, I was pretty hesitant. I had never been involved with student government before and to me, it felt like a select group of people, detached from the rest of the community. But in reality, I’ve found Holy Cross’s SGA to be the exact opposite. The SGA that I know is made up of a robust and vibrant array of individuals, each with a passion and unique determination to make Holy Cross the best it can be and advocate for their friends, classmates, and the student body. Being part of SGA has allowed me to find my voice and advocate for students who may not have the confidence or willingness to speak up for themselves.
Holy Cross’ SGA possesses the unique ability to build relationships with the administration and effectively advocate on behalf of the student body. Jackie and I were able to build these connections and enact real change in our time in SGA. Throughout our time leading the Senate, we’ve authored and passed legislation expanding SGA’s election outreach efforts, created an MSO liaison position within the Senate, restructured the role of the Executive Clerk in the Senate, and streamlined the RSO recognition process for students looking to start a new club on campus. In addition to being effective leaders of the legislative branch, we’ve also served on college committees such as the Finance and Planning Council, Faculty Assembly, and Holy Cross Alumni Association Board and forcefully advocated for student needs.
These experiences demonstrate our ability to work well with others and enact policy. We believe these accomplishments show our dedication to the Holy Cross community and our ability to stay relentlessly dedicated to representing you and your needs. We are confident in our ability to step into the role of Co-Presidents on day one and effectively execute our “Moving Forward Together Agenda.”
We are deeply committed to increasing transparency in the SGA process. We recognize the fact that SGA has not done enough to expand its student-facing initiatives and has occasionally struggled to effectively communicate with the student body. You deserve to know what we are doing in the SGA and why we are doing it. If elected, we commit to restructuring SGA’s social media presence by creating a Public Affairs team that brings together the Senate Public Affairs Committee, Co-Directors of Public Affairs in the Cabinet, and a newly appointed public affairs position within the Judicial Council to communicate our actions and listen to your concerns and feedback. We hope you’ll consider following our campaign (@benandjackie4HC) to learn more about our vision for the future.
Hey everyone, it’s Jackie! Ben explained so much of what we’re looking to accomplish next year, but I wanted to highlight an area I’m particularly focused on — increased advocacy for women on campus. Over the past few years, I’ve been continually inspired by the amazing women across our campus, in SGA, the administration, and beyond. I also had the amazing opportunity of interning with a female politician this past winter, which further inspired me to get as involved as possible in SGA. As a woman on campus, I’ve experienced firsthand and heard many of the issues that pose direct challenges to the female Holy Cross community. I remember my freshman year, being told by a fellow classmate that if I ran against any man in an election, there would be no shot. We all know this is not true; in the last contested election, our SGA Co-Presidents were both women, Anna and Erin from the Class of 2023. I don’t think women on this campus should be discouraged from running for positions like this – I’m giving it a shot.
Something that I promise to stay committed to – and will not back down on, is my commitment to further increasing awareness around sexual assault, as well as continually working to ensure equal opportunities for women across campus. I’ve always felt it’s important to have leaders who can truly understand the concerns of their constituents, and this area specifically is particularly important. Ben and I are so excited to be running this race together and believe that the unique experiences that have brought us to this moment, along with our years of experience working together have prepared us to take on this challenge! Regardless of the outcome of this race, we could not be happier to be part of this amazing community and know that the future of Holy Cross is extremely bright. Our best days are ahead, now let’s start moving forward, together!
Featured image courtesy of @benandjackie4hc on Instagram
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