SGA’s Newest Branch Leader: Speaker-Elect Reagan Markland
Morgan Ross | maross2@butler.edu
The Legislative Branch at Butler University comprises the SGA Senate and the leadership accompanying it. Senators execute campus initiatives by advocating for their constituents' concerns and interests. Serving on one of five committees: academic affairs; appropriations; diversity, equity, and student belonging; student activities; and university life, senators bring changes to campus that students desire.
Reagan Markland, who has 3 years of Senate experience, currently serves as the Student Activities Committee Chair. Recently, she has been elected as the new Speaker of the Senate, taking over for Cade Chezem for the 2022-2023 academic year. Markland has worked very closely with Chezem, seeing how he is in the role and what he has excelled at. “It brings a unique perspective, having a front-row seat throughout Cade’s leadership,” she says as she is excited to bring some new things to the table.
Markland’s interest in SGA started upon arriving at Butler. Joining as a first-year at the time, she was unsure of what exactly she wanted to do, but all the while having a passion for working with others. In high school, Markland was particularly involved in various ways, but did not have the chance to partake in her school’s student council. Therefore, she was excited for the opportunity to get in touch and work one-on-one with students and the administration.
Beyond SGA, Markland self-proclaims herself as a “busy body”. She loves to spend time with family and friends and currently works as a brand development and social media intern at Java House, a local coffee shop in the Indianapolis area. With leadership shown through her presidency of BIGS Venture Philanthropy on campus and in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, Markland is involved in a number of ways in and outside of campus life. In the future, she would love to work with the government on behalf of business, campaign consulting, marketing, or another sector that is hands-on.
In regards to SGA and her position as Speaker of the Senate, Markland has several goals she hopes to accomplish. Her top priority is to find ways to support the student body in ways that do not create controversy. She says that “There will be disagreement, but there should be. At the end of the day, I want to leave Butler better than I found it and I want others to feel the same.” Additionally, by setting specific goals and metrics, she hopes that it will help to hold senators accountable, which has not been done in the past because of its difficulty. Creating standards of what exactly senators should do and what it should look like will surely establish consistency in the short and long term.
SGA has had a huge impact on this campus, larger than many students actually realize. Markland says that it is easy to call out SGA for wrong or tough decisions, which she believes is fair and “they should be held accountable but at the same time students don't realize how many resources are funded by the university and how much SGA actually does for campus and the resources for students.” Markland elaborated, discussing how she sees SGA help pay for many different services on campus, constantly gathering feedback from students, and meeting with university officials to advocate for students.
Throughout her time here at Butler so far, Markland has found some people in SGA particularly influential in regards to her success. Director of Student Activities, Jesse Wanzo Neader has been a huge support system in Markland’s SGA career. “He gifted me a political poker chip with the Butler bulldog on it, which is very meaningful to me. He has encouraged me to be strategic and to pick my own battles.” She says that Jesse Wanzo Neader has been very helpful and motivational, reminding her to be open-minded in situations.
For questions and inquiries regarding the Student Senate, please visit SGA’s website. If you would like to contact Speaker-Elect Reagan Markland directly, please click here.