By Jackson Chadwick | Stephen Rykola
Dedication means something different to sophomore Steve Rykola. His father was a 9/11 first responder who ultimately put his life at stake to save others. In Rykola’s eyes, dedication means putting others above yourself to do what is right. That is one reason why he’s running for the position of SGA Vice President.
Rykola is a well-known face around the Suffolk campus. He’s the current President of the 10 West and Modern Hall Council, an SGA senator, and a current marketing intern for Sodexo, Suffolk’s food provider. He worked as a CA (conference assistant) last summer for the school and recently applied to be an RA for the 2020-2021 school year.
Looking back at the school year so far, Rykola has been focused on finding ways to implement more sustainability on campus. In coordination with the SGA’s temporary Sustainability Committee and Sodexo, Rykola helped organize a plastic-free “green” day in the Samia Academic Center cafeteria. Instead of providing plastic utensils to students, metal silverware was given out instead. He says one reason why he accepted a marketing internship with Sodexo was to help push for more sustainable food options.
Many students may agree that there is a lack of vegetarian and vegan options provided by Sodexo, but Rykola is driven on changing that. Even though the Dining Task Force is weighing other potential food providers, Rykola has been working with Sodexo’s Suffolk director and has suggested offering more vegetarian and vegan options to students.
According to Rykola, Sodexo will be offering a grain bowl, vegan cheese, and begin looking into oat and cashew milk. He said that in Sargent, a test run of a product similar to the “impossible burger” will be offered. In 73 Tremont, the Garden sandwich’s mozzarella cheese will permanently be replaced with vegan cheese.
Overall, he’s found Sodexo to be very responsive to student feedback and input, particularly over the past year. If elected Vice President, he hopes to continue working with the Suffolk’s Sodexo director.
Looking at SGA as a whole, Rykola is proud to be a member of what he calls a “diverse Senate.” He believes SGA has been stronger and more responsive to the student body compared to the previous school year. If elected Vice President, he wants to keep that good work up. But he also notes that more improvements can be made, particularly among senators using Robert’s Rules, which is the parliamentary procedure SGA uses to conduct their meetings. Rykola said he has spent a lot of time this past school year learning the rules and urges his fellow senators to do the same.
Rykola isn’t making any promises he can’t keep. In the future, he’d like to see the Sustainability Committee become a permanent committee within SGA. Additionally, he proposes reviewing the SGA constitution to ensure that everything is presented and written fairly and cohesively. Currently, SJRB (Student Judicial Review Board) meetings are not public, but Rykola would like to change that; he’d also like to work on making the minutes of those meetings available to the public.
Regarding SGA, he notes there is a common misconception, that being SGA is a political organization when in fact, it is not. Senators serve the students and are not affiliated with any kind of party or faction. Rykola argues this misconception may hold some students back from getting more involved in SGA or simply just raising their concerns.
If elected to the position of Vice President or not, Rykola is still determined to be involved, especially regarding matters of sustainability. Making himself available to others for help, assistance, or just to talk is a part of who he is, as he affirmed; that’s a trait he is eager to carry with him wherever he goes.