As president of Penn State Behrend’s Student Government Association, Zane Lewis is a conduit between students and the college’s administration. “My role is to act as a voice and to advocate for their issues,” he said.
ERIE, Pa. — Third-year finance and accounting major Zane Lewis leads a busy life at Penn State Behrend. He has worked as a Lion Scout, a Welcome Week guide and as the administrative vice president of the Lion Ambassadors. He even called numbers at Midnight Bingo.
Lewis has been most visible, however, as president of the Student Government Association.
Past roles in SGA taught him how to interact with people from all backgrounds, and how to manage issues behind the scenes. As president of SGA, he’s using that experience to serve as a conduit between students and the college’s administration.
“My role is to act as a voice for the student body and to advocate for their issues,” he said. “I made it my goal to find an effective process where I can hear student voices, bring their ideas to the administration and then return the administrators’ feedback to the students.”
Penn State News talked with Lewis about his work in SGA and his priorities for this academic year.
Q: What led you to a role in student government?
Lewis: I started this journey when I was 11 and joined Walnut Creek Middle School’s student council in sixth grade, and I’ve loved it ever since. I was president of my high school’s student council, where I learned how to effectively lead a group, what it means to be a confident leader and to have thick skin and always think about other perspectives. When I came to Behrend, one of my first actions was to run for the position of first-year SGA senator.
Q: What are your priorities for this academic year?
Lewis: The primary issues that I hear from students surround academic advising, food on campus and parking. Even if issues I hear aren’t things I deal with in my daily life as a student, they are important to the students I represent, and therefore are important to me. While some things — like food options — are constantly being modified, there are issues, like parking, that I have been tirelessly working to improve.
Q: Has your work with SGA changed your view of Behrend in any way?
Lewis: This work has taught me the benefits of going to school here, as well as being a part of the broader Penn State community. I have learned that we have the largest alumni association in the world, and my role as SGA president has allowed me to see who that includes. I get to work with other campus SGAs and see the issues that students all around the commonwealth face.
Q: What do you like best about Behrend?
Lewis: My favorite thing about Behrend is what I call the “Goldilocks principle.” The Penn State community spans the world, and we have access to resources across 19 Commonwealth Campuses. However, we have 4,400 students on-campus and online. Many of them are local. I often feel that I know one in every five students that I see on campus. We have a welcoming campus that makes me feel like I always have someone to talk to, and I hope other students feel that, too.
Q: Do you envision working in government or politics after graduation?
Lewis: Yes. While my area of study is finance and accounting — specifically, financial planning — I would like to serve on my township’s school board and eventually run for a state senator or representative position. I would like to continue giving back to my community in some way that allows me to use my voice, learn new ideas and meet new people.
Robb Frederick
Assistant director, news and information, Penn State Behrend
