During the Spring 2025 Student Government Association election, the student body voted for 12 senators for the next academic year and passed a referendum impacting student fees.
The Student Fee Referendum will increase student fees from $61 to $94 based on the number of hours enrolled. Northwestern State University of Louisiana has not changed student fees since 2015. The fees will go towards supporting athletics, spirit groups and student engagement; $4 will go to athletics, $1 to the Spirit of Northwestern Marching Band, $2 for spirit groups and $1 for student engagement.
SGA announced Madysen Morgan as president-elect, Chris James as vice president-elect and Ja’Naya Woodard as treasurer-elect on March 11, prior to the official election as the cabinet ran unopposed.
The 2025-2026 academic senators are Bryce Juneau, Lawson Turner and Kylan Williams from the College of Arts and Sciences; Haley Christen, Nilah Pollard and Travis Rachal from the College of Education and Human Development; Jackson Chiasson, Kaylee Stacy and Keiler Soape from the College of Business and Maddie Boutte, Benjamin Brasseaux and Niklaus Jordan from the College of Nursing and Allied Health.
The constitution changes made by SB.S. 2024-01 changed the senate composition to include 19 senators: three from each of the four academic colleges, four senators at large and three freshman elected in the following fall semester.
Pollard will serve as a third-year senator. She explained that a senator’s responsibility is to engage with students across campus, which is why having multiple senators from each academic college is important.
“This allows students from each college to be able to speak on their behalf and on the vision that each of the colleges have,” Pollard said.
Williams, also a returning senator, wants to use his experience gained this year to maintain communication with his peers at NSU in order to voice the student body’s concerns and needs.
“I also try to ask my classmates and friends very frequently if there’s anything they need, or anything they feel needs to be addressed on a broader scale, rather than just the faculty and staff within that department,” Williams said.
Amarriyah Boykins, Denae Davis, Ardyn Jardell and Kailyn Price were announced as senators-at-large.
Davis will be a first-time senator next fall, and is eager to help make campus life better for everyone.
“I feel that I have a lot to offer when it comes to the student body. I struggle with getting out of my comfort zones, and this was one of the ways that I wanted to be more involved on campus,” Davis said.
Freshman senators will be announced in the Fall 2025 semester alongside the Homecoming Court election results.
These newly elected SGA members will be sworn in on Wednesday, April 9, in the Friedman Student Union Ballroom.
