WHO WILL BE THE NEXT SGA SECRETARY?

Could it be Kameelah Freeman?

Photo by JAELYN STANSBURY/MANAGING EDITOR

SGA Executive Secretary Candidate Kameelah Freeman makes her case for why she should be the next SGA secretary during the ‘Meet the Candidates’ event.

Denise Ringo, Staff Reporter/ Writer

Q: Give me a short job description of what you feel is the job of the SGA executive secretary.
A: The SGA executive secretary’s job description is to send out all the correspondence to students and continue to update the Alabama State University’s (ASU) website and students’ newsletter. We are also over the attendance and records for the SGA. We create all meetings and send them to the proper people.

Q: Do you really believe that the SGA executive scretary should be considered an executive position?
A: I do believe the SGA executive secretary should be considered a continuing member of the SGA executive board simply because without the secretary nobody can do what they need to do. The secretary kind of holds the SGA executive board together, therefore, holding the student body together. If there is no secretary then the SGA officers would not have the records that they need to create bills, and legislation for the student body. Without the SGA secretary the student senate could not run. We would not be able to get the proper funding.

Q: What made you want to run for the position of SGA executive secretary?
A: Right now in SGA I am a senator but before I became a senator I was an intern for the SGA secretary who was the secretary during my freshman year. However, serving in the student senate, I realized I need to be on the executive board to be able to continue to make the changes that I want to make. I chose secretary because I like to communicate with students; I like talking to students; and when I was a senator I heard students in town hall meetings says that one of the biggest issues they felt was no communication. So I wanted to jump in the secretary position so I can create the changes they wanted to see.

Q: There are some people who believe that the newsletter should be published more often? What are your thoughts on that?
A: Well, I do know for the constitution the newsletter is supposed to be published monthly. I think that is enough time to update our students. One of my initiatives is to send out a monthly survey so I will do that as well. I am sure that in years the secretary may not have sent them out properly but as secretary, I plan to send them out monthly.”

Q: What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses and how will both play into the way you handle things if you are elected?
A: My strengths right now is my work ethic. I feel like I am a very driven and hard-working person and that has been seen through my track record within SGA. Another one of my strengths is being charismatic. I do everything in my power to make everybody’s day a little bit brighter just by talking and walking into the room and owning it. So I try to play on my strengths in all of my roles. One of my weaknesses would be I am a perfectionist. My name literally by definition Kameelah means perfection so I try to do everything to perfection. Even when I do things to the best of my ability, I sit down and say, ‘dang I could have done this, I could have done that,’ but normally that just creates a little more stress as a leader. I would like to be more detail-oriented so that could become a strength.

Q: How do you feel about the current administration, have they done a good job or not?
A. Being that I am not on the executive board for the current administration, but I am a senator and I am on the legislative board I think that we were off to a rocky start. So we were at a disadvantage but I think that we tried to make up for it. We are still working, and although election season is this week the rest of the school year SGA is still working and does think that they were so many overdue bills at least passed on the senate side of things that were able to make some changes so overall I think that this administration did their job and they made lemonade with the lemons that were giving to them.”

Q.If you were elected what would you do differently than previous SGA secretaries?
A. “I have served under two SGA executive secretaries, and I have seen the good and bad of this position. If elected, I would make sure I work for the students. This ties into my indications which are to Hear, Bridge, Communicate and Unite. My two biggest goals are made to elevate the administration. They are statements and surveys!”

Q. What would you like for your legacy to be if you are elected?
A. I want my legacy to be kindness and hard work!

Q. What do you see as the most pressing problem that students on this campus are facing?
A. Specifically speaking to the secretary row, I think the biggest issue students are facing is miscommunication and censorship of information. I want to combat this through my initiatives that are geared to lift a veil regarding communication. I want to make sure that all information is correct and sent out effectively and timely. Additionally, I would like to continue to unite our campus so that we could all exude that O’ Bama State spirit.