Meet the New Student Activities Director

By Summer Tyler

Harley Colletti, a senior global studies major, is the new Purchase Student Government (PSGA) Student Activities Director (SAD). In her new position, Colletti shares her experiences working at The Stood and how she takes on such big responsibilities, such as making sure Purchase's biggest events are both fun and safe for the students.

Harley Colletti posing in the Student Government office. (Photo by Alex Del Cueto)

Colletti was the Stood Coordinator for the 2024 fall semester. Her good friend, a previous Purchase Activities Board Member, and former SAD Garrett Abell, had the director position and had stepped down. They worked closely together, so Colletti knew the role very well and knew what would be asked of her in terms of responsibilities for the new position she wanted to take on.

“I’m glad she was the one to take over after me. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. The job was really intense, and she has been doing a wonderful job handling it,” said Abell.

"I knew how things worked because I worked in The Stood, so it was easier for me to take that role rather than someone from the outside coming in," said Colletti.

Colletti voiced some of the challenges that come with working at The Stood, especially for bigger events. A lot of time and energy goes into the planning of these events, as well as certain aspects such as security.

"People aren't nice. I think a lot of students forget that The Stood is student-run, so there is no faculty or admin. There is advising, but the people who are running The Stood are students.. It's a hard job to have when you're dealing with people partying and the security of it all," said Colletti.

She continued, "People should remember to be really nice to The Stood staff because it's easy to forget that we're all students. Like deadass, throw a beer can at me… I'm sitting next to you in class. It's a very hard job that a lot of Stood desk workers don't get a lot of recognition for."

A big part of Colletti's campaigning process was to let people know that she is just a student and that she is on everyone's side and willing to hear everyone out. Colletti was asked what was important for her to voice to the Purchase community. "I'm not someone who's like a different kind of student who's fully devoted to The Stood," said Colletti. "I have other passions and other things."

Colletti wanted people to understand who she is as a person. "Don't take shit was my motto for running. No matter what happens with administration, faculty, or PSGA advising, I was always gonna stay true to what the students wanted; that's why I chose that for a campaign flyer," Colletti said, smiling.

"I wanted to tell students my promises to them and how I could make The Stood better. I promise I'm gonna do my job the best that I can. If I can't do my job anymore for whatever reason, I am the type of person who knows when to step down, which is important," said Colletti. "I want to hear what students have to say. Constantly on Instagram, we're always asking who people want to see perform. I think the last line of my campaign was a joke; I wanted it to be personal and to be me. The last thing I wrote was, 'And I promise that I'll look good while doing it.' I just wanted to be transparent."

Harley Colletti working in the Student Government office. (Photo by Alex Del Cueto)

Harley has the responsibility as the SAD to oversee the entirety of The Stood, as well as having to lead the Student Activities Board (SAB). This includes Stood Coordinator, General Programming Coordinator (GPC), Major Events Coordinator (MEC), Maintenance Coordinator, and the Tech Coordinator.

"These are the people who are making decisions about Culture Shock and all these events. We meet once a week. I also have to go to party shifts and make sure things are running smoothly. I'm a part of the PSGA E-board now, I have to go to senate meetings once a week," said Colletti. "I'm the person who's the middle man between The Stood and the administration. My job overall is to be the voice of The Stood and the people that work there, making sure they are taken care of. We have a really good team."

Victoria Gauzza, a senior journalism major and Stood worker, voiced how it’s been having a new SAD. “Harley is doing a really good job given how many changes have happened with that specific position in the past few months,” said Gauzza. “She was the Stood Coordinator, so she was my direct boss for my first semester working here. She was always on time, always handing out things that needed to be handed out, very active and communicative with us.”

"Now that she is Student Activities Director, I feel like she is taking it in stride, it is not an easy position. I can imagine how hard it is and I feel like with the amount of time she’s given to prepare for the position, she’s doing the absolute best that she can,” Gauzza said.

During the fall semester, there are not too many major or legacy events. However, the spring semester is usually jam-packed with several major events hosted by The Stood that require a lot of planning time. Colletti voiced how the spring semester is definitely more stressful and can sometimes be overwhelming. She shared some of the fun things The Stood has planned for the next few months.

"We are currently working on planning Culture Shock. Another thing that we're working on is updating rooms in The Stood… we're gonna try to implement a sewing room so that people can go there, and we can provide some of the tools needed, like a sewing machine," said Colletti. "The fashion scene at Purchase is growing, so we want to cater to them. We also just picked a new artist for a Stood mural. A student is gonna come in and paint a mural. So there's a lot of new things coming to The Stood. …April is a really packed month of every single weekend there is something."

PSGA elections are taking place this semester, and several positions are up for consideration. Colletti comments on the importance of voting and how it will affect the Purchase community in the long run.

"It's important for students to vote not just based on who their friends are, but based on people who they could see fitting into these roles. People are gonna run for my position. I'm graduating so I won't be there," said Colletti. "It's a lot, but it is also very fun and very rewarding, and it's a great thing to have on your resume. If you want to work in event planning and at venues, this is definitely the job."

"I would definitely vote in the elections because if you are staying here it is gonna matter, the types of events that are gonna be thrown," said Colletti. "Are they gonna be cool or are they gonna be wack? I would get involved because it's your school. Why wouldn't you want what you want at your school?"

Colletti smiling in the Student Government office. (Photo by Alex Del Cueto)

The Mandatory Student Activities Fee (MSAF) pays for all student activities. "If you want to keep partying at the Stood, if you want free pads and tampons distributed throughout... things like that—definitely vote yes for the MSAF," Colletti stresses the importance of voting in the PSGA elections.

Colletti voices how being able to make change in The Stood is extremely rewarding and worth the time and effort.

"It's rewarding because you endure so much crap during a party shift. You are put through the wringer. After the party is over, you're with your staff and are like, 'We did it, we got through it.' It's very rewarding because people post about it, saying the party was awesome," said Colletti. "'Do more events like this; we love the artists for this'; it makes us feel like we're doing our job. We're only a few people trying to manage this whole thing. It's rewarding when we are able to implement stuff."