The Student Government Association at the University of Maryland exists to make sure that our voices are heard and who better to lead the executive branch than history-lover and Images tour guide Patrick Ronk.
Ronk became “Mr. President” last semester on May 1. He ran unopposed after Josh Ratner was found ineligible to run.
“The election process was kind of weird just given the circumstances,” Ronk said. “I didn’t end up running against anyone else which was super disappointing. So I had to kind of prove to people I was really a worthy candidate for SGA President.”
From a young age, Ronk, who is from Bridgewater New Jersey, expressed interest in history, which then led to his passion for politics.
“I spent most of my childhood either playing sports or reading Wikipedia about history, which is super weird, I know,” he said.
Ronk is a man of many talents. Aside from being leader material, he excels at being a people person too. On his free time he gives potential new Terps and their families tours of UMD’s gorgeous campus.
Ronk joined Images thinking he would only be there one semester but ended up loving it.
“I really love all the people in it,” Ronk said.
Images is an exclusive UMD tour guide group, which only chooses the best to give guides of the UMD campus. Despite their rigorous selection process, they are a group of very friendly people and the bonds they make between each other are very strong.
“I try to stake out some time just to be around other Imagers because I don’t have to act professional around them or anything,” Ronk said. “They keep me sane.”
The University of Maryland was Ronk’s logical choice on where to get his Government and Politics degree.
“This was the closest place to DC that was a real college campus so I could have the full college experience,” Ronk said. “My family also moved to Maryland right after my senior year which sealed my decision.”
As president of the SGA, Ronk is committed to being the voice of the student body.
“I attend meetings all week with administrators to make sure that the University is doing it’s best to serve, educate, and protect students and being fiscally responsible while doing so,” Ronk said. Our man works day and night for us.
Jonathan Levi, a Junior Government and Politics major, works with Ronk as his Chief of Staff. He says that Ronk is a pleasure to work with.
“He understands virtually every issue facing students at the University of Maryland,” Levi said. “He is not afraid to speak openly about issues important to students, and makes every decision in order to help his fellow Terps.”
Levi says that Ronk “makes it his priority to get to know everyone on a personal level outside of work.”
Ronk has many objectives for the upcoming semester to make UMD a university to be proud of.
“Most of that time will be spent lobbying for lower tuition,” Ronk said. “I also work on a lot of bigger personal initiatives.”
His cabinet will be working to expand the sale of alcohol in athletic stadiums to curb down binge drinking. University official are cracking down on binge drinking and this affects all of us. Ronk wants to approach this problem from a different side and hopefully tackle this increasingly deadly problem.
Sexual assault awareness is also a very big objective in Ronk’s agenda in order to “reduce campus sexual assaults and help girls protect themselves.”
“Patrick had always been interested in SGA so I wasn’t surprised at all when he became president,” Leah O’Farrell, a junior Criminology major, said.
O’Farrell was in Public Leadership Scholars with Ronk his freshman and sophomore year.
“I ran into him the other day and he seemed so happy,” O’Farrell said. “From my interactions with him on my floor freshman year and throughout Public Leadership, I know he will do amazing things as president.”
Ronk makes “sure that the University is doing it’s best to serve, educate, and protect students and being fiscally responsible while doing so.”
Our president is the man for the job.