Student Senate

Mission Statement

The Knox College Student Senate plays a significant role in college activity. The Student Senate is responsible for the management of money between clubs, rolling out new ideas and projects, and voicing the needs of students to improve campus life. Senators are elected by their classmates and stand on student and faculty-led committees. 

Public Comment Is Virtual

Please fill out our public comment form before 7pm on Thursdays to have your public comment considered in our GA. You can attend the GA as well, during our meeting at 7pm in Taylor Lounge, but if you are unable to make it we will still read your public comment. You can expect a response back from us within a few days of submitting your public comment to confirm that we received it and let you know about the answer or the steps we're taking in response.

Executive Committee 

President Eeman Mahar '23 

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President Mahar is a Senior double-majoring in Biology and Psychology. She joined Senate because she wanted to help improve student life and make positive changes across campus, especially in regards to accessibility, mental health services, sustianability, and bias elimination. Her goals for the year involve increasing student engagement, improving food, and working on initiatives to increase sustainability and eliminate problems faced by students due to biases and racism across campus. President Mahar loves meeting and talking with new people--you can always reach out to her on any platform. 

Vice President Avi Rajbhandari ‘25

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Vice President Avi is a sophomore majoring in Economics who is thinking about doing a Philosophy major as well. His goal for Senate this year is to conduct few but effective projects on campus that will have a strong impact on students' lives on campus. His interests are social sciences, philosophy, financial markets, and fitness. Besides Senate, he is also involved in other student organizations: he is the president of the entrepreneurship society (a merger of business and economic club), vice president of powerlifting club, an Alumni Ambassador, and an economics and mathematics tutor. He loves helping out people and believes in doing something generous everyday. If you have questions or concerns he is always happy to help and you can reach him via email at abrajbhandari@knox.edu. 

Secretary Evelyne Dresner ‘24

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Secretary Evelyne is a junior double-majoring in Music and Computer Science. She started in Senate in her first year and has served since then. Evelyne is also a member of the Psi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, and enjoys listening to music and playing video games. They joined Senate to try and make sure that everyone's voices are heard and that nobody feels like they can't speak out. Feel free to reach out by emailing them at eedresner@knox.edu. 

Treasurer Harry Phillips ‘23

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Treasurer Harry is a senior double-majoring in Computer Science and Business. Outside of his role as treasurer in Student Senate, he is also a member of the men's golf team and treasurer of Phi Gamma Delta. The best way to reach out is to either email him directly at hphillips@knox.edu or email the dedicated Senate finance committee email at sfc-user@knox.edu. Additionally, the finance committee holds office hours every Tuesday with the ability to schedule appointments. 

Campus Life Chair MJ Opulencia ‘25

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Chairperson MJ is a sophomore who is currently undecided on her major but is going the pre-med route. They love learning dances, singing, and reading during her free time. On campus, they are involved in International Club, Terpsichore Dance Collective, and Alpha Phi Omega. She is also a Peer Career leader and an Admissions Ambassador. As this year's Campus Life Chair, they plan on working with Campus Safety and the Campus Life Office to ensure Knox students feel safe and comfortable and enjoy their time on campus. You can reach out to her through email at mdopulencia@knox.edu.

Campus Outreach Chair Karla Pérez '25

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Chairperson Karla is a very involved Knox student who is planning to major in Business and Management. She joined Senate as a first-year senator and decided to run for Outreach Chair to take action in the things that go on behind the scenes and to try to make cool things happen on campus. Her main goal for the academic year is to strengthen communication between Senate, administration, and all other students. She's an active TRIO member, a Design and Journalism editor for Catch, a D&D member, an Admission Ambassador, and a QTPOCC member. Karla loves talking to people and making new friends so she is happy to hear your questions, comments, or concerns. 

Dining Services Chair Arun Rajbhandari '25

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Arun is a sophomore who is planning to double major in either Economics and Computer Science or Economics and Finance. This year, he wants to improve the cafeteria food and get to know all the new Senators. He's currently collaborating with the general manager to introduce new machines at the Hard Knox Café, specifically the soft serve machines that need to be fixed. He's also planning on adding more automatic espresso machines on campus. Arun says that he discovered that the Gizmo menu was over a century old last term so he would like to renew that as well. You can reach him at arajbhandari@knox.edu. 

Diversity Chair Harini Gunasekaran '25

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Chairperson Harini is a sophomore this year, majoring in Political Science and Economics. She joined Senate as the Diversity Chair because she wanted to create a safe space for students to voice their concerns in regards to representation. Along with Senate, she is involved as an exec member in cultural clubs such as Aaina and I-Club. She is also the Community and Games Chair of Union Board, Co-Captain of Fencing Club, a Student Engagement Ambassador, and a first-year Resident Assistant. She hopes to bridge the gap between Senate and the student body and ensure efficiency in working on the concerns raised by students. During her free time, she loves to bike around campus and read. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas regarding the promotion of diversity and inclusion on campus, feel free to reach out to Chairperson Gunasekaran via her email at gharini@knox.edu.

Health and Wellness Chair Abigail King ‘24

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Chairperson Abigail is a junior at Knox who is double-majoring in Creative Writing and Classical Languages. She is the secretary of Improv Club, the vice president of Super Smash Bros Club, and a writing tutor at the CTL. She loves to play video games and wear cute outfits. Her goals for Senate this year include continuing the Aunt Flo menstrual product initiatives and finding a way to get more trans healthcare on campus. You can contact her through her email amking@knox.edu. 

Sustainability Chair Ava Vaccarella ‘25

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Chairperson Ava is a sophomore majoring in Biology. You may spot her rollerblading around campus--one of her favorite forms of de-stressing after a long day of studying. You may also hear her singing, as it is a large part of who Ava is. In fact, she is a saprano in the Knox College Choir and their smaller audition-based group Chamber singers. Her goals for Senate this year include decreasing overall waste across campus by increasing the accessibility of sustainability to students. To do that, she plans on implementing a composting system around the dorms, extending reusable period products to panties for those with sensitive anatomy, and providing reusable bags at the C-Store. A larger project Ava has in mind is the possible installation of lamp coverings to decrease light pollution across campus, which is already completed on one street. She will be working closely this year with the other Senate Chairs to ensure sustainable practices are held, as well as with Students for Sustainability, the Knox College Farm, and Tina Hope to collaborate on projects. Ava would also love the support and ideas of everyone on campus. If you would like to contact her for questions, ideas, or encouragement, please do so through her email at advaccarella@knox.edu.