There are a number of students who believe that the Student Government Association (SGA) could have done a better job this school year fighting for student concerns and focusing more on student government.
Cullen Davis, a graduating senior who is majoring in communications, is one of those students.
“I think that the actions of the current executive officers did not live up to their expectations and campaign promises,” Davis said. “From what I saw as a student, I did not see any innovation or plans that could carry on to the next year or next year’s administration.”
He continued.
“I was disappointed in the execution of such actions. For example, notifications to students for activities are often sent at the last minute, giving students no time to prepare and it was a failed execution of time management. Another example I can recall is when an email was sent out for several scholarship opportunities for students to apply. The email failed to include any links and information on how to apply or deadlines. Examples like this beg me to ask the question, ‘How much do our officials care?’ ‘Are they truly right for the job and title?’ I understand that the administration went through several position changes throughout the year, starting from the SGA president, but that leaves little excuse. I think the current administration started off rocky and was not able to get back on track to the vision we believed in last election season,”
However, Davis does commend the administration for continuing some of the ideas from the previous administration.
“I believe the charter bus was something that had potential,” he said, “but it could’ve been used in more efficient ways such as grocery store trips, use of transportation for sporting events and career services activities such as the Legacy Bowl Career Fair.
Other students felt that their needs were not heard, concerns were not addressed and questions were not answered.
“Honestly I am unaware of the full extent of power that our SGA holds so I will not say that they haven’t been completing all their responsibilities,” said senior communications major Miracle Mims. “I will say that on certain occasions getting back to me personally with a response regarding the study rooms in the library or just concerns in general, they have not always been equipped to help. I’ve never received a follow-up email or anything regarding my concerns even though I gave my contact information to receive one. Overall, they could have done more to help the student body,”
Sophomore Jordan Johnson feels they could have done a better job as far as communicating better with students, taking students’ feelings into consideration, hosting more events and becoming more connected with the student body.
“We are now in the clear for COVID-19, so more events would have been nice such as a meet and greet,” he said. “When I say them, I mean SGA as a whole, not people individually. That was their biggest downfall, I believe. The position change did affect the officers, however, they did a good job changing positions and taking on their new roles, but they did not live up to the expectations of their campaign promises.”
Senior biology major Shuntavious Miles also agrees that the abrupt change of power caused the administration to lose its footing.
“I feel that the administration’s presence was there as far as initiatives that were promised during the campaign season,” Miles said. “I see them around at football games so they have the ‘pageantry’ part of their roles down packed. The change in power kind of threw them for a loop so it would have been better if that had not occurred.”
Despite the criticisms, students like senior communications major Jaicee Christian feels they have done a great job this school year.
“They have offered many opportunities to the students as well as getting them involved with community service,” he said. “For me, this is one of the better SGA terms that I have seen, the engagement of the students is unmatched from my four years being here.”