Ferris State’s student government will be under new leadership following the resignation of former president and Ferris criminal justice graduate student Dylan Tantalo.
Tantalo was elected and sworn into office on April 11 of 2015.
The resignation comes on the heels of Tantalo accepting a full-time position as a dispatch specialist at the Ferris State Department of Public Safety. Tantalo’s new job and ongoing pursuit of his master’s degree will demand most of his time, which is why he opted to step down.
“This was no easy decision to make,” Tantalo said. “It’s been a pleasure serving as the student government president. We’ve done a lot of work and have really increased our presence, which was one of the things that I ran on and that we really wanted to do.”
Tantalo was replaced by former vice president and Ferris public relations senior Josh Olszewski.
“I am confident that Vice President Joshua Olszewski will lead this organization in a positive direction. Josh is a charismatic, energetic student who is passionate about students and their experiences at Ferris State University and a student who is passionate for this organization,” Tantalo said.
Tantalo and Olszewski had discussed and planned for the passing of the torch prior to the resignation.
“Dylan was going back and forth with the decision for a while. He really didn’t want to step down because he loved what he was doing and he was really good at it. He really just wanted to make sure he did what was best for the position and best for himself as a student and professional,” Olszewski said.
Olszewski became a member of student government last spring when Tantalo appointed him to the vice president position. Olszewski has also worked in the CLACS office for three years, served as president of the Music Industry Management Association and had a seat on the Student Leadership Activities Advisory Council.
“I want to focus on cultivating relationships with student organizations, and faculty, and staff and a lot of the same goals Dylan had. We’re going to continue with those goals, so they’re not going away,” Olszewski said.
Olszewski wants to focus on establishing more transparency when it comes to student government meetings and decisions. The organization has already made a push in this direction, as they’ve begun to livestream meetings on the group’s Facebook page.
“We have a great cabinet this year, and really a great general assembly. Everyone has been really supportive and it’s been a lot of fun diving into this stuff,” Olszewski said. “I’m excited to step up and serve.”
Olszewski will appoint a vice president to be sworn in at the next student government general assembly meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 18.