Durham, NH -- Improving mental health care resources, assuring transparency, and achieving campus diversity and unity - those are the goals of Student Body President-elect Sophia Spina. On Sunday, March 28, Spina and running mate Alexandra Coella were elected as the 2021-2022 student body president and student body vice president, respectively. A junior, Spina is majoring in psychology with a dual minor in writing and English, and although she may be regarded as a new face to Student Senate, she has ample experiences from her time in the organization.

The Student Senate at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) began a new chapter in the fall of 2020 following allegations of general misconduct by the Senate members as well as providing a “hostile climate toward women Senators.” With ample leadership experience, political science and history dual-major Nicholas Fitzgerald, a junior at the time, believed that he could lead the organization towards its original purpose: to make decisions that serve the students best. 

As students migrate back to Durham and into their dorms, they are being met with the requirements of coronavirus (COVID-19) self-testing, signing prerequisite pledges and maintaining a valid Wildcat Pass, but they are also arriving just in time for the annually commemorated “Black History Month.”

President James W. Dean Jr. of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) announced the draft of the soon-to-be diversity, equity and inclusivity initiatives to promote a positive culture of inclusivity on campus.